New Fife Hospital Hope For Renal Patients

Local people who have to travel miles for specialist health care have welcomed news that a contractor has been chosen for the long-awaited St Andrews community hospital and health centre.

Already people from across north east Fife and the East Neuk are benefitting from the heart clinic and high-tech equipment available on their doorstep at St Andrews Memorial Hospital.

Further specialist treatment, including kidney dialysis, NHS dental care, skin and hearing treatment are also envisaged at the new £25 million Public Private Partnership (PPP) facility at Largo Road, scheduled to open in March 2009.

That will change the lives of 12 people from north east Fife who currently make the exhausting trek to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for kidney dialysis three times a week.

Dr Iain Henderson, consultant physician in the renal unit there, welcomed news that the project — which will replace the current St Andrews Memorial Hospital and St Andrews Health Centre — had taken a step forward.

“I am sure all our patients from north east Fife will be delighted about this,” he told the Citizen.

“Travelling is the real bane of dialysis patients’ existence.”

Dr Henderson, who lives in St Andrews, said dialysis was exhausting for patients who then faced a long drive home before they could rest.