Skye residents hit by NHS surgery cuts
![A number of surgical procedures are being discontinued at a hospital in Skye. Picture: PA](https://www.scotsman.com/webimg/legacy_elm_36078180.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![A number of surgical procedures are being discontinued at a hospital in Skye. Picture: PA](/img/placeholder.png)
The move to suspend endoscopy services – which inspect the stomach, large bowel and bladder – at the MacKinnon Memorial Hospital in Broadford will affect up to 600 islanders a year, who will now have to make round trips of more than 150 miles for examinations in Inverness or Fort William.
The shock move, which will save NHS Highland almost £100,000 a year, comes following an announcement that residents on North Harris will no longer receive out-of-hours GP cover.
Politicians have criticised the decisions.
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Hide AdNHS Highland defended the suspension of endoscopy services, saying it had been taken for a number of reasons, including the fact the the decontamination facilities locally are no longer compatible with current standards, which are achieved elsewhere in the region.
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