NHS Tayside has carried out no routine vasectomies for the second year in a row – despite 475 men waiting for an operation.
However, the number of men on the waiting list has decreased from nearly 1,000 at the end of 2023.
The health board revealed the statistics in a Freedom of Information request by The Courier.
It confirmed no routine or non-urgent vasectomies took place in Tayside in 2024.
The last operation carried out in the region was on January 30 2023.
No vasectomies carried out in Tayside in 2024
NHS Tayside has been working with NHS Forth Valley to provide a vasectomy service to patients for the past year.
The service, previously carried out at Stracathro Hospital near Brechin, was paused in 2023 due to a lack of available workforce.
Michael Marra, Labour MSP for North East Scotland, has called on the health board to provide a “plan and a timetable” on when vasectomy operations will return in Tayside.
He said: “Hundreds of men remain on waiting lists while NHS Tayside is unable to deliver routine procedures in the region.
“This has clear consequences for family planning and women’s health as a result.
“This situation has been going on for nearly two years now.
“Patients deserve a plan and a timetable as to when vasectomies will be delivered in Tayside.
“There is a broader issue whereby NHS Tayside withdraw services but fail to inform patients.
“The health board must come clean with patients about what services it is and is not providing.”
NHS Tayside says more than 400 patients have received the procedure this year as part of its agreement with NHS Forth Valley.
Plans are also underway to bring the delivery of vasectomies back to the region.
A spokesperson said: “Vasectomy procedures for NHS Tayside patients are currently being provided by NHS Forth Valley as part of an agreement with the neighbouring health board.
“More than 400 NHS Tayside patients have received the procedure to date in 2024/25.
“Our urology team has been developing plans to bring the delivery of vasectomies back into NHS Tayside in 2025/26.
“These procedures will be delivered in the short term by medical urology staff, with a longer-term plan to adopt the NHS Forth Valley surgical care practitioner model.”
Conversation