Humza Yousaf has been warned NHS Tayside’s breast cancer crisis won’t automatically be solved by extra cash to bring down waiting times.
The SNP health secretary announced £10 million will be handed out to health boards to speed up cancer treatment, £779,464 of which will go to NHS Tayside.
The health board was left without any breast cancer specialists earlier this year after both stepped down, meaning patients have been forced to travel as far as Aberdeen to see a doctor.
Bosses cast the net as wide as Canada during a recruitment drive, but just four candidates were interviewed in two years.
NHS Tayside has been dogged with problems over breast cancer care and frustrated campaigners say they have been left without answers.
In 2019 it was warned patients may have developed recurrent breast cancer due to a decision to give out smaller doses of a chemotherapy drug.
Across Scotland the Covid pandemic put further strain on waiting times due to patients filling up hospitals and staff having to self-isolate when they caught the virus.
Mr Yousaf said: “Covid has not gone away and pressures remain, which is why we are providing health boards with a £10 million cash boost to drive down waiting times so that cancer patients can receive the best care as early as possible.”
But his political opponents insisted there was “no evidence” the extra money will be anywhere near enough to bring an end to the crisis.
‘Alarming situation’
North East Tory MSP Tess White said: “While I welcome any additional funds to try to tackle the cancer waiting-time crisis, I fear this £10 million will barely touch the sides – such is the scale of the problem.
“The situation in Tayside NHS is even more alarming than the national picture.
“The culture of bullying affecting the Tayside oncology department has done huge reputational damage and made recruitment of new cancer specialists virtually impossible.
“Money alone will not fix the crisis, so Humza Yousaf must work urgently with the health board to ensure the department sheds its toxic image.”
Health chief Mr Yousaf previously admitted he could not defend the treatment breast cancer patients in Tayside were receiving.
The senior Holyrood minister admitted his party “must do more” to meet the 62-day target for suspected patients starting treatment.
Hospitals in Tayside and Fife are also struggling to meet A&E, mental health and MRI scan waiting time targets.
Mr Yousaf said NHS Scotland has consistently met the 31-day standard for starting cancer treatment with an average wait of four days once a decision to treat has been made.
“However we must do more to improve our 62-day performance,” he added.
Fife Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: “Cancer treatment targets have not been met for a decade and Humza Yousaf’s NHS recovery plan is in tatters.
“People in Fife and Tayside are waiting far too long and I am worried that this funding will not even touch the sides.
“The crisis in breast cancer oncology in Tayside still rumbles on and there’s no evidence this new funding will help resolve that problem.
“Catching and treating cancer early is absolutely essential to giving people the best possible chance to get better.”
The funding was welcomed by CANDU, a charity for cancer patients and survivors in Dundee.
Charity chief Dr Julie Wardrop said: “It is great news that cancer patients across Scotland can expect improvements in waiting times for diagnostics and treatment thanks to this additional funding.
“The cancer patient and survivor team at CANDU hope that NHS Tayside cancer services will be positively impacted by access to this funding, reducing waiting times, but also ensuring patients can be cared for locally by a fully staffed and efficient oncology team.”