Shadow Health Secretary Donald Cameron has said that the fall in the number of operations carried out by NHS Highland must be reversed as soon as possible.

The Highlands and Islands MSP said: “In the most recent reported figures we saw the number of operations performed in our region drop from 1,202 in December to just 464 in January, no doubt caused by the impact of the pandemic.

“However it does suggest that a significant backlog must have built up and we really need to drive that down, something I’m sure that the NHS is focussing on.

“The key to getting back on track with hospital operations is continuing the rapid roll-out of the vaccine programme.

“The UK has now delivered over 20 million jabs, an extraordinary achievement by any measure, and keeping up the momentum is vital in driving down infections, and allowing the NHS to focus on other, critical priorities.”