SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has been told to reverse planned cuts to the number of beds at Ayr University Hospital.
South Scotland Conservative List MSP Sharon Dowey has demanded that the government acts - after it emerged that two dozen beds could be removed and a ward may be closed.
Last week Ayrshire Live told how as many as 24 beds from Station 10 at Ayr Hospital are at risk.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran want them removed in order to restore ‘pre-covid’ capacity at the site.
The announcement came on the back of previous news that Ayr Hospital is braced to lose all three of its level 3 ICU beds as part of a shake-up.
Some critics think the move is part of a plan to ‘erode the services’ at Ayr.
Ms Dowey accused Mr Yousaf of “breaking his word to the people of Ayrshire”.
In a letter to Ms Dowey, the health secretary had promised to maintain services at Ayrshire hospitals.
However, NHS Ayrshire & Arran have already confirmed there will be a “reduction” in beds but did not say how many.
Once source said 24 beds could be at risk, while others put that figure even higher.
Ms Dowey said: “Reducing the number of hospital beds for patients is a disgrace, especially when our NHS is already in crisis.
“Humza Yousaf has been caught breaking his word to the people of Ayrshire.
“He personally promised me that local health services would not be reduced, but it looks like he is too busy with his leadership bid to support our NHS. Cutting the number of beds and closing a ward is unacceptable.
“The SNP Government must intervene and reverse this decision. People across Ayrshire deserve to know there will be a hospital bed available if they need it.”
Ayrshire Live did ask the Scottish Government for a response.
They said that management of bed numbers was an “operational matter” for the Health Board.
We also asked NHS Ayrshire & Arran how many beds were at risk- but they did not confirm the numbers.
Joanne Edwards, Director of Acute Services, said: “NHS Ayrshire & Arran has an ongoing approach to reducing additional beds that were opened to provide surge capacity and ensure compliance with pandemic guidance for infection control measures during the pandemic.
“These additional beds were opened across our entire hospital system and so the reduction in beds will be safely planned across the whole system and not just at University Hospital Ayr (UHA).
“There is no plan to reduce numbers of core beds across the system.”
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