Calls have been made for the Welsh Government to put a renewed pledge to deliver a new hospital for west Wales on the back burner, and instead pump that money into services at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest.

First Minister Eluned Morgan made fresh commitments ahead of the Senedd election in May to progress plans for a new regional hospital, a proposal that has been raised repeatedly over several decades but has yet to materialise.

Three potential sites for the new hospitals were identified by Hywel Dda Health Board - two near Whitland and one near St Clears – but plans for the new build have yet to be progressed despite years of talks.

Local Conservative Senedd Members Paul Davies MS and Samuel Kurtz MS – who are both standing as candidates for the new-look Ceredigion Penfro seat at May’s election for the Senedd – said that the new talk of the proposed new hospital was a “desperate pre-election distraction” from immediate pressures facing local health services and called instead for bigger investment in both Bronglais and Withybush hospitals.

Paul Davies MS said: “People in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion do not need vague long-term aspirations.

“They need certainty and investment now.

“Services are being centralised and downgraded while we are told to wait for something that is neither fully planned nor properly funded.

“Instead of chasing headlines, the Welsh Government should focus on safeguarding and strengthening services at Withybush Hospital and Bronglais Hospital.

“The message from our communities is clear: invest in the hospitals we have so people can access the care they need closer to home.”

The two MSs contend that immediate capital and workforce investment in existing facilities is the only credible way to guarantee patient safety, reduce excessive travel times for rural residents, and provide sustainable healthcare across West Wales.

They are calling on the Welsh Government to publish a clear, fully costed and deliverable plan to protect core services at Withybush and Bronglais, rather than relying on what they describe as “recycled promises that never materialise.”

Samuel Kurtz MS added: “Just ahead of a Senedd election, the First Minster dusts off a decades old plan and tries to sell it to local voters who can see straight through this empty promise.

“This is nothing more than a desperate and cynical promises to try and save the First Minister’s seat, knowing that she won’t be in a position to deliver it.

“When 10,000 local people sign a petition demanding the Welsh Government intervene on Withybush, and all they can do is press release a decades old plan, it shows Labour are no not serious about supporting the communities of West Wales.”

Davies and Kurtz reiterated that protecting frontline services at Withybush and Bronglais must be the immediate priority for the Welsh Government, warning that confidence in local healthcare provision will continue to erode without tangible action.

First Minister Eluned Morgan is also standing for the Ceredigion Penfro seat in a new-look Senedd that will return 96 members in May.