Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife has challenged the First Minister on the future of Perth Royal Infirmary. The Perthshire MSP raised the issues of remove emergency surgery services from Perth Royal Infirmary during First Minsters Questions and asked whether the First Minster and the SNP Scottish Government now support cutting services from rural hospitals and what action will he take to protect the further loss of service from PRI ? Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife: “I was very disappointed at the First Minster’s lack of local knowledge and his apparent complacent attitude towards SNP cuts to services at Perth Royal Infirmary. “The SNP made a manifesto commitment ‘to keep services local and improve the availability of these services’ what we are seeing in reality is services being cut from Perth Royal Infirmary and centralised at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. “Residents across Perth & Kinross are clear that they want to see services at Perth Royal Infirmary maintained and investment make to sustain what is a first class local hospital serving the community. “In cases in the central belt when NHS Boards have moved to cut services from hospitals SNP Ministers have acted to stop these cuts. It seems that the SNP are not interested in the future of services at Perth Royal Infirmary and are happy to stand by and watch the hospital see the services it provides to the local community downgraded even further. “It’s time SNP Ministers started to listen to local concerns and instruct NHS Tayside to think again.”