Cancer patients in Fife are facing unacceptable delays in starting their treatment, an MSP has claimed.
Those suspected of having gynaecological, urological or head and neck cancers are waiting too long to be seen by experts.
Now the Scottish Government has been urged to take action to address the recruitment problems said to be at the heart of the matter.
Figures from February show that nobody with suspected cervical cancer was treated within 62 days of referral in Fife, while just 54.5% of those referred for urological cancer tests and 60% with suspected head and neck cancer were treated within that timescale.
The Scottish Government has decreed that at least 95% of people referred with a suspicion of cancer should be treated within 62 days.
Once diagnosed, everyone other than 10% of urological cancer patients, was treated within the 31-day target .
Scott McLean, NHS Fife’s chief operating officer (acute), said patients who had initially been delayed were now progressing to treatment but added: “This, together with the increased throughput of general urology outpatients, continues to result in increased demand for surgery.”
He said this meant a deterioration in performance in the next few months was still expected.
NHS Fife has identified consultant shortages in urology, neurology and general surgery and said efforts are under way to resolve this.
Labour’s deputy leader Alex Rowley said the situation was unacceptable and called on the Scottish Government to act.
“We need to know what action is going to be taken,” he said.
“If this is linked to the massive problem we have had for a number of years to be able to recruit consultants then the Government has to step in.”
Mr Rowley said one suggestion would be to treat health on a regional basis by linking Fife with the Lothians and Tayside.
“That’s a solution I was told two years ago would be looked at and it still doesn’t seem to have happened,” he said.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said NHS boards had fully delegated powers to recruit and deploy their own workforce to meet the needs of the population, supported by Holyrood.
“Specialist care for patients is provided in the most appropriate environment, regardless of health board boundaries,” she said.
“People with cancer in Fife will already be referred for specialist surgery in Edinburgh or radiotherapy at the Edinburgh cancer centre.
“We are working to address pressures across Scotland for urological surgery and this is being looked at by the National Planning Forum.”
