THE figures are alarming. At times one GP in Lochgelly has 3,600 to care for.

Perhaps Lochgelly's plight is the worst in the district but the fact is that every community has problems finding a replacement when a doctor either retires or moves on.

Queueing up for an appointment at 7am is something that has become the norm as all the local surgeries have lost doctors.

MSP Alex Rowley is right to have called for a meeting with the new Scottish Government Health Secretary to discuss what plans are in place to sort the problem.

There have been messages coming from Holyrood that there are plans to try and find a method which will see more GPs become available for surgeries like Lochgelly, Cowdenbeath, Benarty, Kelty and Cardenden.

But while these have been welcomed stats like the one found at Lochgelly Health Centre gives little solace to the patients.

The trend seems firmly in place that fewer graduates want to go into General Practice and choose other medical avenues to go down.

So no matter what Holyrood come up with it is going to be an uphill struggle to sort this matter out.