by John Sudworth BBC Radio 4's PM programme

An investigation by BBC Radio 4's PM programme heard recent attempts by the government to cut waiting lists had been criticised by some consultants.

Most surgeons are "thoroughly moral, hard working individuals"

A surgeon interviewed for the broadcast said the initiatives had met with hostility because they could seriously threaten many surgeons' livelihoods.

A member of the British Orthopaedic Association rejected the claims.

The row hinges on the decision by the government to pay the private sector to bring in teams of foreign doctors in an attempt to hit waiting list targets.

We have had open hostility Richard Friedland, of Netcare

Thousands of operations will be carried out by these doctors at Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) over the next few years.

But the move has been opposed by some British consultants, who argue overseas surgeons staffing the centres are poorly trained.

Richard Friedland, chief executive of Netcare, a South African company running some of the centres, said he believed British consultants felt threatened.

He told the BBC: "I understand fully the opposition and, in many cases, aggression of some consultants towards ISTCs.

'Place of anger'

"In reducing waiting times and thus reducing waiting lists we are in fact reducing the need of patients to seek treatment outside the NHS and hence within the private sector."

Mr Friedland said the dislike of some surgeons for the government's initiative was obvious.

"It's been voiced to us by several consultants and we have had open hostility. We've had some appalling letters written to us and some appalling things said to us.

"I understand that they are coming from a place of anger and I understand that for many consultants we are threatening their very livelihoods."

You can use your NHS waiting list and your NHS practice to build your private practice Surgeon interviewed for BBC Radio 4

An NHS surgeon interviewed anonymously for the programme described the "subtle ways" in which some consultants would encourage patients to opt for private treatment.

He said: "You can use the system. You can use your NHS waiting list and your NHS practice to build your private practice."

He believes part of the medical profession is guilty of holding up progress on waiting lists because of concerns about the impact on their private practices.

The government should also take some responsibility for failing to tackle resistance from surgeons in the past, he said.

He went on: "The majority of consultant surgeons are thoroughly moral, hard working individuals.

'Not dinosaurs'

"But there is a small group who are exceptionally aggressive, exceptionally ambitious, who are like pigs with their snouts in the trough and it is they who are blocking change."

David Jones, of the British Orthopaedic Association and a member of the council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, rejected the claims.

He said: "The great majority of consultants in Britain are extremely hard working and their overwhelming interest is for the care of NHS patients."

Surgeons were committed to carrying out complex operations and routine elective work, he said, and any private work done in addition was "quite moral".

Mr Jones said some of the initiatives could have taken place within the health service, in existing main hospitals and NHS treatment centres, without bringing in private companies.

And he defended the position of the colleges of surgeons and British Orthopaedic Association.

He said: "We are not here to act as dinosaurs - we are here to ensure that whatever system is in place, we can defend the principle of high quality of care."