COWDENBEATH MSP Annabelle Ewing is pushing for a meeting with the Deputy First Minister as she continues to fight for a new health centre in Lochgelly.

Last year, the Scottish Government said funding for the much-needed facility was unlikely to be allocated before 2025 however Ms Ewing said the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and deputy first minister, Shona Robison, has mentioned a spring-time announcement of an "investment pipeline".

“I raised the issue of Lochgelly’s dire need of a new Medical Centre with the Deputy First Minister, in her role as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, during a General Question Time recently," she said.

READ MORE: Health minister visit leaves campaigners "disappointed"

"In her response, Ms Robison referred to an investment pipeline which she would be setting out ‘in the spring’.

“I have now written to the DFM asking her to outline the process for that investment pipeline and to set out specific timelines for it.

“A new Medical Centre for Lochgelly is long overdue and I am urging the DFM to ensure that it is treated as a priority. To that end, I am seeking a meeting with her to ensure that she has all the relevant information.”

NHS Fife promised to replace the David Street facility by 2019, but work never started and, earlier this year, it was kicked into the long grass when the Scottish Government announced it was to adopt a phased approach to capital expenditure meaning it could not be delivered within planned timescales.

NHS Fife has said the current centre is “functionally inadequate and compromises proactive patient care.”

Last year, the Scottish Government said money for a new health centre in Lochgelly, and one in Kincardine, was not considered a "priority" in its Infrastructure Investment Plan (2021-26).

Health minister Michael Matheson blamed sky-high inflation, less cash than expected from Westminster and rising construction costs as he confirmed that Kincardine and Lochgelly will have to wait another three years for funding.