About 100 people turned up at the trust's annual meeting

Consultant Chris Overton was among about 100 people at a Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust meeting complaining about its plans to reduce services.

He was suspended and later reinstated after protesting about bed cuts at Withybush General in Haverfordwest.

The trust, with a �2.4m deficit, says cuts are temporary and hopes they will not have too much impact on patients.

The trust originally had to save some �4.5m, and has saved some �2.5m through efficiency savings.

The people of Pembrokeshire and in fact the people of all the areas of Wales deserve better Consultant Chris Overton

It is cutting another �1m through reductions in services, but that still leaves a �1m shortfall.

Mr Overton said: "They can't make more cuts.

"They should go back to the Welsh assembly and tell them they have got to stop squeezing.

Chris Overton says cuts should be avoided with more cash

"The people of Pembrokeshire and in fact the people of all the areas of Wales deserve better."

The trust has assured people that no urgent or emergency patients will be affected, and has said it had rejected some initial proposals on safety grounds.

Among the savings are reductions in operations and bed closures. Closing a rehabilitation centre will save �23,000, but patients said that was a small amount in the context of the overall sum.

One, Nancy Jones, said: "I think they are looking for cuts any way they can, and... it seems a ridiculous amount of money against �4m they want to claw back."

Another one, Kenneth Homfray, said the initial impact of shutting the centre would mean patients spending a lot of extra time travelling, which many found distressing.

The Welsh Assembly Government has previously described the 2005/06 settlement for trusts as "challenging."

The assembly government said all NHS bodies had to work within their budgets and look at where efficiencies could be made.