Ministers' target of 800 more GPs is 'in tatters'

Number of local docs has risen by just 200 as 2027 deadline looms

- BY CRAIG MEIGHAN

THE Scottish Government has been told its promise to deliver 800 extra GPs is “in tatters” after figures showed fewer than 200 have been added in eight years.

Ministers promised in 2017 to recruit 800 local doctors over 10 years but statistics released yesterday suggest the target is unlikely to be met.

Scotland currently has a GP headcount of 4582 – up from 4385 in 2017.

That means the Scottish Government would have to add about 600 GPs over the next two years to keep its pledge.

Audit Scotland warned in March that ministers were unlikely to meet the goal. BMA Scotland said if current trends persist, the government would not hit its target until 2050.