The number of people waiting for hospital appointments in Dumfries and Galloway has reached record levels.
New figures show more than 15,000 people across the region were waiting for an inpatient or outpatient appointment at the end of March.
And more than 300 of them have been waiting more than 12 months to be seen.
South Scotland Labour MSP, Colin Smyth, said: “People in Dumfries and Galloway have been badly let down by the Scottish Government and their incompetent running of our NHS.
“Despite the tireless efforts of NHS staff, record numbers are stuck languishing on NHS waiting lists.
“The SNP Government need to better support our amazing NHS and deliver a real catch-up plan to help it recover from the damage inflicted by both the pandemic and by this disastrous government.”
Figures released by Public Health Scotland show that across the country, 479,725 people had been waiting for an outpatient appointment at the end of March this year – 2,617 more than at the end of 2022.
Dumfries and Galloway’s share of that number was 11,370 – more than 600 up on the previous quarter and more than double the figure for March 2020 – the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
A Scottish Government target aims to ensure 95 per cent of patients are seen within 12 weeks – but in Dumfries and Galloway 4,533 people had been waiting longer than that.
And of them, 80 people had been waiting for more than one year and one had been waiting more than 18 months.
When it comes to inpatient and day case treatment, there were 147,241 patients on the waiting list across Scotland at the end of March – 2,724 more than the previous quarter.
The region’s share was 4,320 – up more than 200 on the end of 2022. The March 2020 figure was 2,331.
The Scottish Government target is that no patient should wait more than 12 weeks following a decision to treat.
But in Dumfries and Galloway more than half of patients – 2,294 – had waited longer.
And 221 had waited more than a year, with one waiting more than 18 months.
The figures show that for inpatients and outpatients, more people were added to and removed from waiting lists than in the previous quarter.
The Public Health Scotland data also reveals that 3,233 patients in the region were waiting for one of eight key diagnostic tests – more than 300 up on the previous quarter.
Just over 82 per cent of people were seen within the Scottish Government’s six-week target.
Health Secretary Michael Matheson said the impact of the pandemic, which led to “the worst winter in the history of the NHS”, must be recognised.
He added: “The pausing of non-emergency treatment inevitably led to further planned care delays and an increase in waiting times.
“Despite that, we have seen an increase in the level of activity for new outpatients and inpatient/day cases in the quarter to end March 2023, and the highest level of activity in any quarter since the start of the pandemic.
“We have also seen sustained increases for outpatients and for inpatients.
“While there is more still to do, there has also been a continued reduction in long waits over 18 months as well as a significant reduction in long waits over two years since targets were announced last July.
“The Scottish Government continues to work closely with NHS boards to maximise capacity and reduce the length of time people are waiting for appointments and treatment.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway was asked for comment.
