I WOULD like people to consider the problems I have had in trying to see a doctor at Cowdenbeath Health Centre.

Indeed, it is not just me who has been having this problem. Surely people having to queue outside the health centre at 7.30am on winter mornings is not a good idea at all as they are there because they are not well.

My problem has been that I have had a sore shoulder and it has been seriously hurting and when I called the surgery I was told there were no appointments available for a couple of weeks.

I was urged to go in for an emergency appointment but I believe that these are not for the likes of me but senior citizens and this is something that also needs to be made plain.

The system is very poor and to have people who are ill, many of them elderly, having to queue up at 7.30am is surely not right.

I have had to put up with this shoulder problem for some considerable time but there are not the appointments available to see a GP for up to two weeks without having to queue up to see if you can get a cancellation.

Surely this is something that has to be sorted out.

WILLIE PARK,

Cowdenbeath.

The situation Mr Park says that he has found in Cowdenbeath is happening at health centres all over the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area. The problem has developed as a lack of replacement GPs in the area has become ever more acute. MSPs Claire Baker and Alex Rowley have been raising the problem at the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government say that there are working hard on trying to get more GPs come to Fife practices. However, in the short term problems with patients finding appointments is likely to persist.