New figures showing that almost nine out of 10 medical training posts in Scotland have been filled have been hailed as "very encouraging" by the Health Secretary.

Jeane Freeman welcomed statistics showing that 89% of these had someone in post - the highest total at this point in the recruitment process for the past five years.

This includes 99% of all foundation training places - for doctors in the two years post-medical school - being filled.

All places in radiology, paediatrics and general surgery specialities have been filled, while in psychiatry the Scottish Government is working with health boards and others to improve the 72% rate - with 16 of the 57 training places available currently vacant.

Medical director of NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Professor Stewart Irvine said: "We welcome the continued improvement in fill rates for training posts across Scotland this year and, once again, many of our training programmes are completely filled following recruitment.

"This is a great tribute to the hard work of consultants and general practitioners across the whole of Scotland, who continue to ensure that doctors training here have a great experience and the best possible training."

He added: "It is particularly encouraging that our core training programmes in surgery and internal medicine have been completely filled following the investment we have made in the redevelopment of these programmes."

Ms Freeman said: "These latest recruitment rates for our medical trainee posts are very encouraging and reflect Scotland's reputation as a country with a first-class medical education system and flexible training opportunities.

"We recognise that there are still ongoing challenges when it comes to recruiting to certain medical specialities and geographical areas, and we are continuing to address these issues."