FEMALE staff are a problem for NHS Fife - because they're too busy having babies and choosing to work part-time!

The shock statement from the health board, which has angered Cowdenbeath MSP Helen Eadie, said the "feminisation" of the workforce was part of the "major challenges" they faced.

She said, "This is unacceptable in this day and age to infer criticism of women in the workforce and I find it deeply offensive to families all over NHS Fife's workforce." It seems to be far from a man's world in NHS Fife but women taking up an increasing amount of posts is giving health chiefs a headache.

And they admitted the number of female staff going on maternity leave or working part-time was an "added pressure", particularly in certain departments.

At last week's NHS Fife annual health review, the board explained, "In common with other boards, NHS Fife faces major challenges in sustaining services, training activity and junior doctors' rotas as a consequence of the reduction in the number of medical training grade posts.

"These challenges have been compounded by the feminisation of the training grade workforce and legislative and other changes which have made recruitment of locum staff difficult.

"The increased female medical workforce imposes an added pressure on availability of trainee doctors due to maternity leave and part-time working.

"This has led to an ongoing impact in some specialities (particularly paediatrics) and solutions need to be worked through both regionally and nationally." Labour MSP Mrs Eadie (pictured) said, "I find it objectionable that the term 'feminisation' of the workforce is used. "To single female employees out is not acceptable. "All employees present opportunities and challenges and all employees deserve to be valued so what sort of message does this send out to NHS Fife workforce reading messages like this in the public domain?" She continued, "The problems faced by NHS Fife are not to do with so-called 'feminisation' but a simple reduction in the numbers of medical training posts.

"There are myriad reasons why staff have time off work. "In this day and age many fathers play an increasingly equal role in the care of children so why single out women? "Where are the stats on those men who undertake such a role?"