Major hospitals in Scotland are to stop certain operations to save money.

The country's largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), proposes cutting back on "low health-gain" treatments and tests as it grapples with a £55 million deficit, sparking fears about a postcode lottery for patients.

The removal of tonsils, varicose veins and "minor" lumps are among the procedure.

But patients' groups have expressed grave concern, saying it could mean people having to live with discomfort, and serious health problems being missed.

Dr Jean Turner, executive director of the Scotland Patients Association, said: "All these procedures are important if you really need them. You can cannot tell if lumps are minor until you have removed them and looked at.

"I do not think anyone from the health board should be laying down the law. It is a question of how significant it is to the patient and then the clinician being able to decide."

Dr Alan McDevitt, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association's Scottish General Practitioners' Committee, said GPs had not been consulted on the proposals.

He added: "There should be a national debate about what is available.

"The more devolved decisions we have in healthcare, the more likely we are to have postcode variation."

Under the Glasgow plan GPs and consultants would add only the more serious cases to waiting lists, but targets set by the Scottish Government would still have to be met.

A raft of proposals to make the required £55m savings is due to go before the NHS GGC board later this month and reducing "low health-gain" procedures is among them

If the board agrees, it is understood NHS GGC would start cutting back the number of procedures from the start of 2012. It anticipates saving £123,000 a year.