The first minister has been accused of inaction on NHS ready lists as figures reveal greater than 1,700 chemotherapy therapies have been paid for privately in Scotland.

Figures revealed by the Private Health Information Network (PHIN) confirmed 42,890 personal episodes - the time sufferers spent below the care of a non-public marketing consultant - have been recorded in Scotland in 2022/23, an 8% enhance on the earlier yr.

It confirmed 7,805 cataract surgical procedures, 4,739 hip and knee replacements, 2,055 endoscopies and 1,745 chemotherapy therapies have been among the many procedures paid for by Scots.

It comes as 17,201 individuals proceed to attend greater than 18 months on an NHS ready listing.

The common costs for knee and hip replacements, in keeping with Nuffield Health's Glasgow hospital, is about £15,000, whereas endoscopies have been £2,026 and the excision of a malignant lesion within the trunk or limbs costing £1,934.

Speaking at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Humza Yousaf stated Scotland's price of personal therapy was decrease than England and Wales, which have a 16% and 51% greater price respectively in keeping with PHIN's statistics for the primary quarter of 2023.

But he stated: "Of course, that will be cold comfort for people who have to dig deep into their own pockets to pay for healthcare. But I would say is its not unique here to Scotland. So what we'll do is continue to see that recovery, continue to reduce waiting lists."

He added: "We know, of course, the impact the pandemic has had on our health services and indeed on those waiting lists.

"But that is one thing that's being seen proper throughout the well being methods throughout the globe, not to mention the remainder of the UK."

Read extra:NHS England ready listing hits document excessive Number of long-term sick hits document excessive of two.6m

However, Scottish Labour chief Anas Sarwar stated: "Health care at the point of need - a founding principle of our NHS. How can the SNP have let it get so bad that patients are having to find the cash to pay for lifesaving cancer treatment?"

He added: "Patients in pain and heartbroken families, trying to scrape together the cash, some even being forced to to remortgage their homes, to pay for care they should be getting on the NHS.

"First minister, why are increasingly Scots being pressured to pay the value for SNP incompetence and failure?"

Content Source: information.sky.com