THE LONG-AWAITED new eye hospital in Edinburgh was given the green light yesterday after years of delays and costly maintenance.
Finance secretary Shona Robison announced that the government would fund a replacement for the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in the Scottish Budget.
With the project halted twice since it was initially approved in 2018, the news has been welcomed by local MSPs.
The existing building, which was declared unfit for purpose 10 years ago, is currently closed temporarily for repairs, leaving patients fearing it would not reopen.
A replacement for the tired building in Lauriston Place, which opened in 1969, was given the go-ahead in 2018, but was then cancelled in 2020 after funding was withdrawn.
Yesterday’s decision forms part of a record £21bn investment in health and social care, with the cost of a new eye hospital previously estimated at £123m.
The government was forced into reversing the decision during the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.
Six months after the vote, it was revealed that over £1.3m had been spent on maintaining the old hospital since 2015.
Conservative MSP for the Lothian region Miles Briggs branded the building at the time as “past its sell-by date”.
However, progress was stopped again last year after a two-year freeze on major projects was imposed in the Budget.
The announcement comes after the hospital closed its doors at the end of October for six months to carry out urgent plumbing repairs.
All services and clinics have been moved to other NHS Lothian facilities for the duration of the work.
The closure left patients, many of which are blind or partially sighted, concerned that the region would be left with patchy access to specialist eyecare services.
Campaign group Keep Edinburgh Eye Pavilion (KEEP) formed a rally outside Holyrood yesterday to fight the case, joined by MSPs.
Following the Budget, which also promised replacements for Monklands Hospital in Airdrie and Belford Hospital in Fort William, local MSPs took to social media to share their thoughts.
Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said: “I am delighted that after years of campaigning we are finally getting a new eye pavilion in Edinburgh.
“This project is long overdue, and we need the work to start immediately.
“I want to pay tribute to all the tireless campaigners and sight loss charities, and my fellow Edinburgh MSPs that have been pushing hard for a new hospital for years.
“We must now make sure that this facility is delivered in the best possible condition and at the quickest possible speed.”
Conservative MSP Miles Briggs added: “Over the last eight years SNP Ministers have on three occasions promised a new eye hospital for Edinburgh only to cancel and pause it.
“I welcome the announcement that a new hospital has been included in the Budget and will work to make sure they keep their word and deliver.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton also mentioned the hospital in a statement crediting the government for listening to the party’s previous concerns over health and social care spending.
