NHS Tayside consultant Alex Munnoch said bosses told him to remove names as a "simple solution" to people waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment.

The letter read:

I am afraid I am writing to inform you of some bad news. I have [been] instructed by hospital management to remove your name from my waiting list.

The prime reason for this decision relates to the 18-week target for patient treatment which is now enforced.

I currently have a significant number of patients in breach of this and the simple solution by management is to reduce my waiting list by removing patients' names.

The secondary argument is that there is no funding for your treatment from your health authority. Your general practitioner and health authority have received a letter from hospital management explaining this.

I would recommend that you contact your general practitioner in the first instance to discuss this and to put pressure on the health authority for funding.

You may wish to consider contacting your MSP and anyone else you can think of to campaign to be treated fairly within Scotland and not be disadvantaged simply by living outside Tayside.