A top doctor has told the Scottish Government it must find the cash to save the country's NHS.
Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland, told the Record: "We don't believe there is absolutely no more money".
He warned junior doctors could follow their counterparts in England by balloting for industrial action as the value of their take home pay had dropped by 23 per cent since 2008.
And he insisted the public supported calls from doctors and nurses to be paid more.
Kennedy said it was vital the Scottish Government worked to resolve key concerns on pay, pensions, workforce planning and working conditions to ensure staff could be retained.
The health service is going through one of the worst crises in its history as patients face huge waiting times for certain services and staff endure rising workloads.
But SNP ministers are also facing the prospect of unprecedented strike action across the NHS after three unions representing nurses last month rejected the government's latest pay offer.
Humza Yousaf, the Health Secretary, previously warned "there is no more money" for enhanced pay deals.
Kennedy said: "It always leaves healthcare workers cold when governments say there is no more money, because we all know that when governments choose to find money, they can find it.
"I believe that if there was a will to find the money, it could be found. We don't believe there is absolutely no more money.
"And what is more important to the people of Scotland than our NHS? It should be prioritised.
"I believe the majority of the public would support the government in addressing pay and pensions in the NHS."
Kennedy has met with the Health Secretary four times in four months since he was appointed BMA Scotland chair last year.
He added: "We believe that Humza Yousaf wants to do the right thing - and he now has a great opportunity to address the crises across the NHS in Scotland.
"I have a very good working relationship with him and I know that he shares many of my concerns and the concerns of the BMA.
"I just want to encourage him to seize the opportunity to make a seismic difference to the NHS in Scotland.
"Because it is clear now is the right time for a national conversation."
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, said: "NHS staff have been on the frontline of one crisis after another, going above and beyond to keep services running and keep patients safe.
"A fair pay deal is the least these workers deserve, but instead they are being treated with contempt by Humza Yousaf.
"The SNP's disregard for staff will drive people out of the NHS, worsen the existing workforce crisis, and pile yet more pressure on dangerously overstretched services."
Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Lib Dem leader, said: "Dr Kennedy's comments further prove what we knew already to be true.
"This SNP/Green Government's approach to resolving disputes over NHS pay has been a disaster and relations between the Health Secretary and NHS staff are at an all-time low.
"NHS staff have gone above and beyond in the last few years to keep us all safe, yet they are now being let down.
"Scottish ministers clapped for our NHS, now they need to get their hands in their pockets."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We have already undertaken an Emergency Budget review in recent months to explore every option to deliver fair pay uplifts for NHS and other public sector staff this year. This has included having to find over £400m of savings in health spending to go directly toward NHS staff pay.
"No other government in the four nations has matched this endeavour. As a result our record high NHS Agenda for Change pay uplift for 2022/23 has been accepted by a majority of the health unions in the recent negotiations, representing a majority of the unionised NHS AfC staff.
“Unison, the largest health union, and others have called on the Scottish Government to implement the deal without delay so NHS workers can get the rise and backdated pay as soon as possible.
“Our prioritisation of NHS investment was underlined last month when the Deputy First Minister outlined in the draft budget 2023/24 that he proposed changes to a number of devolved taxes to raise additional revenue to support Scotland’s NHS.
"This has ensured that the planned increase in frontline health spending next year will increase by over £1 billion."
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