A FIFE woman "in great pain" raised £15,500 to pay for a hip operation rather than wait for NHS treatment.

While another who is desperate for the same procedure, but cannot afford to go private, "continues to suffer" with no idea when she will go under the knife.

The plight of his constituents, who did not wish to be named, was raised by Alex Rowley MSP in the Scottish Parliament and he said it was "unacceptable" that there are now more than 30,000 people waiting for NHS treatment in Fife.

He said: “I want to highlight the case of two constituents, both crippled and in great pain in need of a hip replacement.

"One was able to raise £15,500 and have her hip replaced through private care whilst the other who could not get that kind of money continues to suffer with no idea when she will get the treatment she needs."

In parliament, Mr Rowley, Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, told Deputy First Minister John Swinney that one in eight people in the country are now on an NHS waiting list and asked what plans the Scottish Government have to reduce waiting times.

He continued: “We must see clear action plans to address the high and rising levels of waiting lists for people in need of treatment.

"The truth is NHS staff are run off their feet and at breaking point whilst the demand for health services continues to grow.

"With over 30,000 people in Fife on an NHS waiting list, we need action."

Mr Swinney replied that waiting times were “larger and longer” than they were before COVID and the Government's approach to deal with the problem would be set out in a recovery plan.

He added that each NHS board was obliged to bring forward a strategy on how they would reduce the number of people on the lists.

Mr Rowley added: "I have written to the CEO of NHS Fife asking that she make public the plan submitted to the Government and for full transparency on the numbers of people and the category of treatments that are driving the delays and lengthy waiting lists.

"We must understand the extent of the problems and the actions being proposed to address them.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The pandemic has seen our NHS under the most severe pressure in its 73-year existence.

"Pausing of non-urgent activity has taken place in health systems across the UK and has inevitably led to a build-up of numbers waiting for treatment, and the emergence of Omicron in late 2021 has undoubtedly added to existing significant pressure.

“We have to be upfront and honest that recovery will take time, we have to balance competing demands and pressures, making the best decisions we can, none of which are easy nor taken lightly.

“The NHS Scotland Recovery Plan sets out plans and ambitions for recovery, backed by more than £1 billion of funding.

"The plan will support an increase in inpatient, daycase and outpatient activity to address the backlogs of care.

"Key actions include investment of more than £400m to create a network of national treatment centres across Scotland which will significantly increase capacity to deliver elective care.”