Campaigners behind a bid to protect a Dundee health centre have demanded NHS Tayside “stop treating them like second class citizens”.
Members of pressure group Invest in Lochee Health Centre met outside the under-pressure facility on Friday to garner support for their cause.
The group want guarantees from NHS Tayside that a minimum of three full-time GPs will be deployed to the centre.
Protesters say just one GP works full-time within the facility currently.
As part of yesterday’s demonstration, members of the public were given the opportunity to sign a petition calling for more staff to be hired.
Event organiser Leah Ganley, 31, said: “I think sometimes politicians and those running things think places with poorer health conditions will let things lie and might not be as vocal as people in other communities.
“But we’re here to show them we are going to be and that we are going to stand up for services in Lochee.
“We’ve had great support from people in Lochee and across the city.
“This isn’t just a Lochee-wide thing, it’s a problem right across Dundee.”
Fellow campaigner Myles McCallum, 37, said: “We’re hoping to see more than one full-time GP here.
“The other GPs are locums.
“We want some sort of guarantee the place isn’t going to close.
“We want reassurance the centre can get back to the way it was.
“I’ve used this place all my life and I’ve seen a real downswing in it lately.”
In response to the claims, an NHS spokesperson said: “All boards across Scotland continue to face challenges to recruit GPs and NHS Tayside is no exception.
“NHS Tayside continues to invest in Lochee Health Centre to secure sustainable service provision and is committed to investing in a model of care that will see the local community benefit from more effective, patient-centred care.
“The health centre has been operating with a pool of experienced locum GPs, supported by nursing and pharmacy colleagues to ensure the delivery of healthcare services to its registered patients.
“In addition to an existing GP working in the practice, a new part-time GP joined the practice in early April and a new full-time GP has also joined the practice in recent weeks.”
