TWO Fife hospitals have revealed they treated almost 300 underage youngsters for drink-related problems in the past two years.
A third of the patients were aged 14 or under, according to the shock figures from Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, and Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline.
A spokesman for NHS Fife said alcohol misuse was a “major health challenge” throughout the whole of Scotland.
The figures show that between 2008 and last year, a total of 288 under-18s were admitted to the two hospitals where the main symptoms or complaint related to dinking too much alcohol.
Kirkcaldy MSP Marilyn Livingstone said the figures would be of great concern to parents.
She said: “The Scottish Government must commit to ensuring our young people know about the dangers of alcohol.
“As well as affecting our young people’s health, under-age drinking can be a direct cause of antisocial behaviour,” she said.
Livingstone said those who supplied youngsters with alcohol needed to get the message that it is “never acceptable and will not be tolerated”.
