PATIENTS whose chemotherapy has been stopped or delayed as a result of a consultant vacancy in Highland are to travel to other health board areas for treatment.
NHS Highland confirmed that it has received offers of help from "all of the cancer centres" across Scotland, but it not yet clear where 76 of the 78 patients affected will be sent.
A spokesman from NHS Highland said the national colorectal oncology co-ordination group will meet before the end of this week "to robustly plan how these patients will be allocated across each board."
NHS Tayside and NHS Grampian had already agreed to take one patient each.
READ MORE: Chemo suspended for dozens of Highland bowel cancer patients after doctor 'leaves early'
The disruption comes after a specialist colorectal oncology consultant left the health board "earlier than planned", with recruitment efforts unable to find either a permanent or locum replacement.
The situation was flagged with the Scottish Government's National Oncology Co-ordination Group at the end of April but no solution could be found, and on June 5 the Scottish Government wrote to all other mainland health boards requesting help.
However, a total of 78 bowel cancer patients from the Highland and Western Isles region were told last week that it was not safe to proceed with chemotherapy until their were under the care of a new specialist oncologist.
This included 13 patients who were due to begin chemotherapy, and 65 patients whose chemotherapy has been suspended.
Of these, 12 new patients are waiting to be allocated to another health board area to begin treatment while 64 are waiting to find out which health board area they will attend to continue receiving chemotherapy.
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A spokesman for NHS Highland said: "Over the past week we have been offered support from all of the Cancer Centres across Scotland.
"We are extremely grateful for this support, and we will continue to work collaboratively with Boards across the country to identify clinical solutions.
"A national colorectal oncology co-ordination group is meeting before the end of this week to robustly plan how these patients will be allocated across each board.
"Our priority is to give patients assurance and to reduce their anxiety of not knowing when they will have their next treatment or review."
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