NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) have suspended non-urgent operations as Glasgow's A&E departments crumble under the winter pressures.
The health board said they would be prioritising urgent treatment and cancer care instead of elective procedures.
The NHS was once the beating heart of the UK's health service but it's now facing "major pressures" across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
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It comes as two Glasgow hospitals were at the brink of collapsing last week with ambulances left queuing outside and patients being treated in corridors.
Other health board's across Scotland - including NHS Fife - have taken similar steps to the NHSGGC due to pressures being faced by hospitals.
NHSGGC said the decision was 'not taken lightly' and is under constant review.
A spokesman said: "We would like to thank staff across all of our services for their continued hard work and commitment in these challenging times.
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"Our services, like the whole of NHS Scotland, are facing major pressures, including significant COVID, flu and norovirus cases, and our staff are doing all they can to meet this demand.
"To support our A&E departments, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has taken the decision to pause non-urgent elective procedures to prioritise urgent treatment and cancer care.
"We would like to apologise to patients waiting for an elective procedure, we will make every possible effort to offer them an alternative date at the first opportunity.
"NHSGGC has also recently opened up additional winter capacity to provide more beds, with more to open in the coming weeks, and we are rolling out a new patient flow model to help improve movement through our hospitals.
"We are reminding all patients at this time not to attend A&E unless their condition is very urgent or life-threatening. Patients should consider utilising one of our other unscheduled care pathways instead such as local pharmacy, GPs, NHS Inform, or our virtual A&E service, which provides emergency consultations over the phone and through video and allows us to schedule face-to-face appointments at our Minor Injury Units (MIU).
"The virtual A&E can be accessed through NHS24 by calling 111."
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