A new £75m Murray Royal hospital in Perth has been officially opened by First Minister Alex Salmond.

The hospital will provide state-of-the-art mental health treatment facilities and is the first to be delivered under the non-profit distributing (NPD) scheme.

The scheme is one of the largest investment programmes of its kind in Europe and part of a record capital investment programme on hospitals and community healthcare centres that is expected to reach £845m.

The new facility has 102 beds and provides psychiatry care services for adults and elderly patients along with new old-age psychiatry day services, improving the mental healthcare services in NHS Tayside.

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Construction on the build started in June 2010, with the designs created through detailed dialogue with users, carers and clinical and non-clinical staff, together with a wide range of technical experts.

Speaking at the official opening Mr Salmond, said: "This government is determined to invest in Scotland's infrastructure – our hospitals are vital, schools are crucial, and roads essential both to stimulate growth in the short term and lay the foundations for long-term economic success.

"I am delighted to open the new Murray Royal Hospital, which is the first from a pipeline of non-profit distributing construction projects in our health services totalling £845 million, an investment that clearly demonstrates our commitment to improving the NHS and in turn the lives of those who live in Scotland.

"Our capital commitment in hospitals, schools and roads and other infrastructure is set to top £3.4 billion in 2013-14. This unprecedented level of investment, which is estimated to support more than 40,000 jobs across Scotland, is good news for the health service, good news for the construction sector and good news for the Scottish economy ."

The new hospital main hub building contains the main reception, café, outpatients department and administrative services.

(JP/CD)