Without a doubt, Vatersay and Barra are stunning locations. They have about 1,300 island residents and are located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
But being isolated also makes it difficult to provide healthcare to a population that is more than an hour away by plane or six hours away by car from the nearest A&E.
The two Hebridean islands have been without a permanent doctor since last summer, and although two positions have now been advertised, the locals worry that it will be difficult to find the kind of doctors who can provide a lifeline for the islands.
As the Covid pandemic was just beginning in 2020, Sandy Maclean was working on his tractor when its wheel blew, throwing him across the shed.
His wife Kirsty fled the house during the fierce explosion and assumed her husband was already dead when she saw him.
Ishbel, Sandy's daughter who lives next door, arrived and saw how badly hurt he was. To stop a serious bleed, she began administering first aid by wrapping his head in blankets and towels.
She said to BBC Scotland: "It was all very quick, but at the same time not quick. When the paramedics arrived, they could already tell that the situation was critical, so they loaded him into the ambulance and drove him three miles to the hospital. ".
In Castlebay, the largest village on Barra, there is a tiny three-bed hospital called St. Brendan's that lacks even an X-ray machine.
However, it is the location where the neighborhood physician works to keep patients stable in an emergency while they wait for the air ambulance to transport them to the mainland.
It took nearly five hours for Sandy to be helicoptered off the island after a trauma team from Glasgow, which is located almost 200 miles away, was diverted to Barra.
Ishbel says, "The only way the trauma team in Glasgow could describe it, he was like a bomb victim.". .
How long it took him to reach her was seriously questioned by the neurosurgeon. ".
Ishbel continued, "If you look at what we do (on the islands), everyone is out working the land or working the sea so the potential for accidents is high here and that doctor will be the only person to respond.
"Wherever else, the reasons for going to your regular GP and the reasons for going to A&E are two very different things, and here, one person needs to be able to do both jobs. ".
Since Barra's last resident doctor left the island last year, locums have filled in. On the island, temporary workers also provide dental care, and plans to build a new hospital have been put on hold as a result of the Scottish government's withdrawal of funding.
Residents are uneasy about the future of essential services as a result of it.
Cobhair Bharraigh, an elderly day center, is managed by Margaret Ann Beggs. .
According to her, the medical professionals provide the Barra community with essential services. They genuinely save lives and keep people alive until they can leave the island for specialized treatment. .
They take care of everything on the island, and as a result, they play a crucial and fundamental role in the community.
Locum physicians are currently filling half of the 16 consultant positions in the Western Isles, which includes the larger islands of Lewis and Harris, and the health board spent £3.6 million on temporary staff over the course of the previous year. .
The chief executive of NHS Western Isles, Gordon Jamieson, claims he recently received a quote for more than £1 million to fill a single specialty position for a year. .
Although there is competition due to the high vacancy rates on all the islands, he told BBC Scotland that he is optimistic they will find permanent GPs for Barra.
According to him, population decline is the Outer Hebrides' top concern or risk. .
"More remote areas face a challenge if you add on top of that some very clear and obvious general pressures across the NHS. There has never been a time when it has been harder to fill positions with candidates. ".
Young families understand that living in such a remote area means you cannot assume that you will always have access to healthcare. However, some people find it annoying that they must travel off the island for simple procedures like blood tests or dental care. .
Emma, who is five, and Sophie, who is three, are the two daughters of Alison Sinclair.
"Nine out of ten times, the healthcare is great, but there are little things," she said, citing Sophie's need for a blood test and the necessity of scheduling an appointment with a pediatrician in Uist. .
"The ferry was canceled five minutes before our scheduled departure. I now have to travel there in a few weeks for a quick blood test, during which you might spend the entire day. ".
Young families are also concerned about it. Amy Maclean was a sick baby who belonged to Anna Maclean. She started fitting and had a high temperature. .
We shouldn't have to wait 40 minutes on the phone to 111 because we live in the Western Isles, she said. Instead, we should be able to go to our local hospital in case of an emergency. .
"My kids haven't visited a dentist because we don't have one, and I'm starting to think I want to move because of the scares I've had in the past. However, I don't want my kids to leave Barra because it's a wonderful place to raise them. ".
