NHS TAYSIDE has not ruled out postponing some surgical procedures should an emergency arise at protests during the week of the G8 summit next month, it emerged last night.

Already, Edinburgh hospitals are drawing up plans that could see some non-emergency operations put off to ensure beds are available in case of injuries among the tens of thousands expected to attend the Make Poverty History march.

Lothian Health Board has refused to comment on its contingency measures having been told by police and local authorities, it is claimed, to remain silent.

With thousands of protesters likely to enter Tayside to make their views on world poverty known to G8 leaders at Gleneagles, NHS Tayside has also been keeping an eye on developments as the summit approaches.

Chief Executive Professor Tony Wells said yesterday, “At the moment, we have no plans to cancel any elective (non-emergency) surgery and hopefully we won’t have to. However, we are constantly monitoring the situation and will respond appropriately as we would do in any emergency.”

Large-scale conflict either in Edinburgh or at Gleneagles could place a considerable strain on health resources. The situation would be more pressing in Edinburgh where some hospitals already have a shortage of beds.

Although the various protest groups and organisations expected to demonstrate in Edinburgh and at the Gleneagles summit have called for peaceful protest, the potential for trouble exists. The latest organisation to pledge support for the protests is radical Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir al-Islami (Islamic Party of Liberation). The group wants a single, united Islamic state. It has been banned in many Muslim countries and across Europe where, it is claimed, it is linked to terrorists.