New figures have revealed that thousands of people Dumfries and Galloway were stuck on a waiting list as of 31 December 2023.

Of these, hundreds were waiting more than 6 weeks for tests.

The quarterly release by Public Health Scotland relates to the number of patients waiting for one of eight key diagnostic tests as of 31 December 2023 and the time they have waited. The eight key diagnostic tests are upper endoscopy, lower endoscopy (excl. colonoscopy), colonoscopy, cystoscopy, CT scan, MRI scan, barium studies and non-obstetric ultrasound.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway had 2,207 waiting as of 31 December. 304 waited more than six weeks and 25 waited more than 13 weeks; however, 86.2 per cent of people waited six weeks or less.

Colin Smyth said: “The number of people waiting for vital health tests in our region continues to be a concern in Dumfries and Galloway.

“These long waits for essential diagnostics tests are causing misery and putting lives at risk.

“Health and care staff across Dumfries and Galloway are working tirelessly to deliver the best possible standard of care, but they simply cannot keep up as there just aren’t enough of them.

“Thousands of people are waiting weeks for basic healthcare and that really undermines the fundamental principles of our NHS.

“Services across the area are stretched to breaking point yet the Scottish Government continues to fail to come up with a proper plan to tackle this crisis.”