The Health Secretary has said his door is open to a request for funding for a medical facility to serve an Angus aristocrat’s £2 billion town.
Mearns MSP Alison McInnes had urged Alex Neil to recognise the need to provide health facilities to people in towns with growing populations across the North East.
Mrs McInnes highlighted the fact that there are no confirmed plans to build medical facilities for the new Chapelton of Elsick development.
She said she was pleased that the Cabinet Secretary had indicated that his door is open should NHS Grampian need to request funding in order to provide the medical services that residents of the new town will need.
Lord Southesk’s long-term masterplan includes seven neighbourhoods, creating the potential for up to 8,000 homes between Stonehaven and Aberdeen, thus making it Scotland’s largest settlement for a generation.
Mrs McInnes said: “Developers have offered a retail unit for the first 800 houses for a GP surgery and will set aside ground for a medical centre as the community grows.
“But a medical centre would cost millions and it is unclear where this funding would come from.
“Residents, therefore, fear that existing healthcare services, such as Portlethen Medical Centre already amongst the busiest in the country with nearly 14,000 patients could be overwhelmed.
“Given health boards were recently stripped of their powers to allocate capital funding, will the minister take responsibility and act to ensure that residents in and around Chapelton of Elsick can access high-quality health care in the future? The building of the new town of Chapelton of Elsick in Kincardineshire is already under way.
“Three primary schools, a secondary school, retail outlets and employment opportunities are all planned, but a question mark still hangs over the provision of a medical centre.
“The Scottish Government holds the purse strings and can help find a solution.”
Mr Neil said that Mrs McInnes made “a number of very valid points” and indicated that he would consider any request from NHS Grampian once its discussions with Aberdeenshire Council have concluded.
The Scottish Government could then assess whether it needs to intervene or help to implement any agreed proposals.