More than 600 people have joined the campaign to save a Dunfermline wig-fitting service for hair-loss sufferers.
The service provided by Sheds Hairdressing in Dunfermline is set to be lost in June because the premises are accessed by a flight of stairs and are not disabled friendly.
Since the closure was revealed, there has been an outcry from salon clients, members of the public and local politicians.
By Monday afternoon, 623 people had signed the online petition called NHS Scotland: Allow Sheds Hairdressing to Continue Their Wig Cutting Service.
Salon director Douglas Barr said he was overwhelmed by the response after NHS Fife decided not to renew Sheds’ contract. Labour MSP Helen Eadie is the latest to call for the service to be retained.
Mrs Eadie, who has raised the issue at the Scottish Parliament, said cutting personalised hairpiece services was a concern for people with conditions such as alopecia or those who have lost their hair after chemotherapy.
She said: “When a patient in Scotland needs a hairpiece they have a template crafted for them using the skills of the specially trained hairpiece provider.
“This is quite an art form because the most skilled hairdresser will ensure the hairline matches the patients’. The colouring and thickness of the hair is matched. Then careful shaping and fitting.
“I know so much about this because I have worked with the Skin Care Campaign Scotland (SCCS) and Alopecia Help and Support, which is a member of the SCCS.
“I have seen all of these skills at first hand and so I am full of admiration for the skills that are involved.
“The story that now seems to be emerging is that in the name of the Scottish Government’s austerity measures the hairpieces will be provided but no longer tailor made. Instead a catalogue will be provided at bargain basement prices with no quality and you will use mail order and just have to put up with what comes in the post.”
Mr Barr said: “The people we are giving a service to, a lot of them are in a bad place. The last thing they want is to go out with something on which will make them stand out.
“We personalise them. The hairpieces come in with about a third too much hair, which we tailor to the individual.”
The row reached European level after EU bureaucrats were blamed for the contract being lost. However, the European Commission said Scottish, and not EU, legislation was behind the decision.
A spokeswoman for the European Commission said: “There are no EU rules which require disabled access to services such as the hair salon producing wigs for cancer victims in Dunfermline.
“This was in fact a requirement under the Scottish Equality and Diversity Act, which says that audits of premises need to be carried out. Unfortunately, the salon concerned did not pass this audit.”