THE SNP has created a two-tier health system where “the price of poverty is pain,” said Scottish Labour yesterday, as record numbers of people go to private care for treatment.

The accusations come after freedom of information requests to Scotland’s health boards showed that 36,818 Scots have left NHS dentists for private dental care since 2019 and figures published by the Private Healthcare Information Network revealed numbers self-paying to enter hospital had soared by 11 per cent between 2022 and 2023 to 21,000, the highest on record.

The figures showed that a staggering third of all hip and knee replacements carried out in Scotland are now done privately.

Scottish Labour’s Jackie Baillie accused the SNP of presiding over the “birth of a two-tier health system in Scotland where the price of poverty is pain.” 

She added: “With nearly one in six Scots on an NHS waiting list, it’s no surprise that Scots who can afford to are handing over money to escape pain. 

“But for those who can’t raid their savings, the only other option is to take on debt — or live with rotting teeth or agonising joint pain.”

The Scottish government was approached for comment.