EDINBURGH, Scotland, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Scotsmen more often choose private healthcare to get the treatment they need as waiting lists grow for government health services, The Scotsman reported.
More than 250,000 Scots paid for treatment at independent hospitals last year, a trend that registered a 25 percent increase in the past three years, a report by the hospitals showed.
Politicians said the figures show the urgency with which the National Health Service must tackle growing waiting lists at government-paid medical facilities.
Private health managers said the culture in Scotland, where patients had been more likely to use state healthcare, is "giving way to a readiness to embrace private healthcare" and pay for the treatment themselves, the newspaper said.
Shona Robison, a spokeswoman for the Scottish National Party, said only a small number of people in Scotland can afford private healthcare and the numbers should be a wake-up call to Health Minister Andy Kerr.
"These figures highlight the failure of the Scottish Executive to deliver a better health service for all," Robison told the newspaper. "We need action now by Andy Kerr to reduce waiting times."
