South Scotland Conservative List MSP, Sharon Dowey, has backed her party’s plans to boost the number of GPs in rural areas.
The backing from Ms Dowey comes after her party launched their proposal at their annual conference.
Ms Dowey says the problems for patients trying to see their GP – and in turn doctors meeting patient demand – is particularly acute in rural areas - such as Ayrshire.
Included in the policy proposals from the Scottish Conservatives are plans that would see alternative pathways to primary care – such as pharmacies and optometrists – fully utilised in rural areas.
The party are also urging greater recruitment of allied health professionals in rural areas – alongside extra GPs – to bolster primary care in Ayrshire.
This would involve ‘upscaling’ training opportunities for allied health professionals so they can be fully integrated into rural healthcare provision.
Ms Dowey also reckons rural housing must be urgently upgraded and blamed the SNP-led government for failing to build enough houses during their 16 years in power, a failure which she says has ‘hampered’ the recruitment of GPs in these communities.
The final part of the proposals call for more to be done to encourage medical students to complete their placements in rural areas, encouraging them to stay there long-term.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP, Ms Dowey, said: “The SNP’s poor workforce planning has resulted in a shortage of GPs across the country, and that has been particularly prevalent in rural and remote areas across Ayrshire.
“That is why I am delighted to back plans put forward by my party to help improve the situation for patients and local health services in Ayrshire, by making the most of pharmacists and optometrists to help ease the pressure on GPs.
“A lack of housing in Ayrshire has also had a major impact in attracting enough GPs to come and work here.
“Unless we start focusing on building homes here in rural areas, GPs won’t be able to make a permanent base here and stay for the long-term.
“Only the Scottish Conservatives are standing up for the real priorities of rural Scotland and my constituents in Ayrshire and the proposal to boost the number of GPs forms just a part of that.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said they recognised that GP practices in rural areas faced “unique challenges.”
However, there were a “range of initiatives to tackle this.”
The spokesperson said: “This includes financial incentives and bursaries for newly qualified GPs, our graduate entry medicine programme, ScotGEM, which will see the first cohort of 44 students from last year’s enter general practice and ‘Rediscover The Joy’ allows experienced GPs to support remote and rural practices.
“We are also working to develop a Remote and Rural workforce recruitment strategy by the end of 2024, which will support employers to ensure that the health and social care needs of people who live in remote and rural communities are met.
“We are immensely grateful to GPs and practice staff who do an incredible job in a period of significant challenge and we are committed to ensuring that being a GP remains an attractive career choice with a manageable workload.”
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