The radiology service in Scotland is on "red alert" because of a shortage of trained professionals, according to a news report published online by the BBC on 14 August.
Dr. Grant Baxter, chair of the Standing Scottish Committee of the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), noted that Raigmore Hospital in Inverness is soon to lose its last interventional radiologist and the health board has confirmed that in emergencies, patients will be transferred to Aberdeen or Dundee. He said that overall staffing in radiology is around 50% of what it should be: 7.5 WTE (whole-time equivalent) as opposed to the required level of 14 WTE.
"Raigmore represents what is happening in radiology in essentially all health boards in Scotland, albeit they are more severely affected currently," he told AuntMinnieEurope.com in an email.
Unless this issue is addressed, there won't be a functioning service left in the next three to five years.
"We need to start training more radiologists. We need to put in the IT systems," he told the BBC. "The government needs to be bolder, listen to what we're saying, and increase the number of trainees. It is the key part of the solution."
