A petition calling for the retention of the out-of-hours GP service in Glenrothes is to be relaunched.
The move by Glenrothes Area Futures Group (GAFG) follows a series of meetings last week at which NHS Fife outlined the options for the service.
While the health board has said a final decision has yet to be taken, GAFG fears closure is a fait accompli and that out-of hours GP care will be moved to Kirkcaldy. Hundreds of people signed the petition when it was started in November.
Closure is one option being looked at by health bosses, along with partial transfer to Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, in the evenings and at weekends, and maintaining the status quo.
GAFG chairman Bob Grant said people in the Glenrothes area had been conned.
“Communication between Fife NHS board and the public has been virtually nil,” he said.
“There are a lot of statistics presented that do not add up. There are a lot of facts we would still seek.”
The group now wants a meeting with Scottish Health Minister Alex Neil and new NHS Fife chairman Allan Burns to discuss the way forward.
Mr Burns met local MP Lindsay Roy and MSP Tricia Marwick on Friday where he again stressed that no decision on the future of the out-of-hours service would be taken until August.
The politicians had sought the meeting after NHS Fife failed to honour a promise to produce an evidence-based report detailing the pros and cons of five options for the service, which health officials believe would be better relocated to Kirkcaldy as it would be next to other services, including A&E.
Mr Roy and Mrs Marwick said the report should have been available before the public meetings.
“We are grateful to Mr Burns for meeting with us to try and allay concerns we have over the whole appraisal and consultation process regarding the options for the OOH service,” Mr Roy said.
“He listened attentively to our concerns, which are many, and gave us a categorical assurance that no decision on the future of the service has been taken. Indeed, he has asked for a review of the process of consultation that has been so heavily criticised.’’
Mrs Marwick added: “We felt this was a productive meeting and we have agreed to meet again shortly to get an update on what progress is being made.
“We are pleased that the chairman has promised to provide us with a comprehensive set of papers that were part of the evaluation and we welcome confirmation that no decision has been made.’’
Mr Burns said: “I had a good meeting with Lindsay Roy and Tricia Marwick and it is clear we all want to ensure that people have the right service to provide the best clinical care.”