I punched the air when I heard about new eye hospital plans
Sylvia Paton, who has had complex eye conditions all her life, has been attending the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion since it opened in 1969
- Published
A grandmother who has been campaigning for years for a replacement eye pavilion in Edinburgh said she "punched the air with joy" as a new hospital was given the go ahead.
Sylvia Paton, 62, who has had complex eye conditions all her life, has been a regular patient at Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion since it opened in 1969.
The building in Chalmers Street was deemed not fit for purpose in 2015.
As she unveiled the Scottish Budget on Wednesday, Finance Secretary Shona Robison told MSPs, external that the Scottish government would fund a replacement.
The Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion was deemed not fit for purpose in 2015
The Scottish government first approved a replacement for the eye pavilion in 2018, but then cancelled it before making a U-turn during the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.
However, last years' Budget imposed a two-year freeze on major projects and all work on the new eye hospital was stopped.
The existing Eye Pavilion is currently closed for six months for urgent repairs to its plumbing system.
Sylvia, who has Aniridia - a rare condition where the iris does not form properly - welcomed the funding, saying she punched the air with joy.
"A new hospital would mean a whole new lease of life, not only for me but for all the other patients," she told BBC Scotland news.
Sylvia Paton is registered blind so has a guide dog called Kate to help her
"I think it's fantastic she has pledged to do this but I am nervous because she hasn't announced how much she is going to put aside and when it would be available.
"However, it is fantastic that we've got here.
"I'm a little bit sceptical about the timescale and the amount it is and it all being withdrawn again."
Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion currently has about 1,500 patients a week.
The cost to replace it has since been put at £123m.
Lorna Pratt, 74, who has keratoconus - a condition where the cornea thins and bulges, causing distorted and blurred vision - has been a patient at the eye pavilion for 50 years.
Lorna Pratt said she was thrilled money had been earmarked for a new hospital
"I'm thrilled that money has been earmarked, what I would say though is we have been here before twice," she said.
"I'm delighted that this has been said but I will just be hoping that there will be no change of policy in the near future before they get the work under way.
"It is a step forward though. I'm saying excellent but let's just keep a watching eye on this and make sure there is no slippage."
She added: "I'm very pleased that it has been acknowledged as it was built in the late 60s and at that time they had no concept of the numbers they would be trying to deal with."
Ms Robison announced almost £200m to reduce hospital waiting times and increase capacity, provide additional support for GPs, and boost social care spending as well as funding more dental training places and more community-based support for teenage mental health.
However, she said: "It is not just the day-to-day resource spending that will increase though. We are also increasing health capital spending.
"That means I can announce to the chamber today that this Budget will fund the replacement of the Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, the Belford hospital in Fort William, and Monklands hospital in Airdrie."