One of Scotland’s leading health figures has launched a powerful attack on Gordon Brown for making comments today on the NHS in  Scotland.

Retired consultant Dr George Venters - a former Chairman of the Scottish Health Campaigns Network which lobbies for a public NHS - accused Brown of deliberately helping to put the Scottish NHS in financial difficulties.

Dr Venters explained that the former Chancellor and Prime Minister was an enthusiastic advocate of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programme.

This controversial financial model was used to build hospitals such as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and is still costing Scottish taxpayers tens of millions of pounds.

Dr Venters said: “Gordon Brown is guilty of hypocritical and cynical manipulation of the Scottish NHS. I, along with others, believe he was instrumental in the introduction of the PFI programme which has become such a millstone around the neck of the health service.

“We knew it was a nonsense at the time - Gordon Brown’s track record on this just beggars belief. The PFI programme is hugely expensive, though of course it’s very profitable for the banks.

“When I heard his comments today about promoting a public NHS, I just thought he was a total hypocrite.”