A campaigner who brought down a Serbian dictator has thrown his weight behind the bid to save the St Andrews out-of-hours GP service.
Srdja Popovic led the student movement in Serbia to bring to an end the dictatorship of Slobodan Milosovic in 2000.
He is now rector of St Andrews University and is lending his expertise to the campaign to keep evening and weekend GP services in the town.
Mr Popovic has publicly called on more students and locals to support the bid, just weeks before Fife Health and Social Care Partnership considers the response to its consultation.
The partnership has put forward two options for out-of-hours primary care amid a shortage of both doctors and nurses.
It has suggested closing the service at St Andrews and Glenrothes hospitals and basing it entirely at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy or at Victoria and Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline.
As a petition signed by more than 6,300 people against the St Andrews closure was handed over on Thursday, partnership chairman Simon Little said members were listening.
In a message to students, Mr Popovic said: “As many of you know, the out-of-hours GP service risks being taken out of St Andrews.
“This would be a terrible thing for both locals and students, as without this service the nearest one is over 45 minutes drive away.
“Buses do not run during the night and it costs over £100 to get a taxi to Kirkcaldy and back.”
He added: “I stand with the students and local community of our town to keep the GP service in St Andrews and I hope you will too.”
North East Fife Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie, who organised the online petition, hailed the support of such an “outstanding campaigner with an international reputation”.
“Although our campaign in north east Fife is not about bringing down a dictator it is very important to the wellbeing of people in our area.
“Srdja’s advice and support will be important if we are to succeed.”
He added: “I wish there wasn’t a need for this campaign but the reason this has galvanised the community to this extent is because the consequences are so serious.”
