Friday 9 October 2026

10.6°C W Moderate Breeze

Become a member

Letters /

Overcapacity a problem

Contributed

19 January 2017 08:42

I agree that overcapacity is a problem and should be addressed (NHS chief: closing hospital’s Ronas Ward is most ‘efficient’ way of cutting spending; SN, 16/01/17).

Consider this: Orkney had a population of 21,670 in 2015, and is served by Balfour Hospital with 48 beds. The replacement hospital with 48 beds will enter service in 2019.

Shetland had a population of 23,200 in 2015, and is served by the Gilbert Bain Hospital with 76 beds.

Why must Shetland with 7 per cent more population pay for 58 per cent more beds?

Christopher McDowall Johnston
Atlanta
USA

Keep Shetland’s news open to everyone

Your membership helps us report the stories that matter to Shetland — and keep them free for everyone to read.

Become a member

Categories

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Ignore for now

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Interested in Notifications?

You can install the Shetland News app on your device, simply tap and then 'Add to Home Screen'.

Loading the app will allow you to accept notifications.