THE repair bill for Inverclyde Royal Hospital has halved in the last three years - but almost 400 jobs costing over £20m still have to be carried out.

New information obtained from NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde health board has lifted the lid on the extent of work still to be completed.

The cost of the maintenance backlog has fallen substantially in the last three years, down from £44m.

But figures obtained under freedom of information laws reveal there is still £23m worth of work outstanding.

A total of 373 jobs are listed for completion, including everything from replacing lights and ventilation to upgrading lifts, electrics and alarm systems.

West of Scotland MSP, Neil Bibby, says the extent of the work required is 'staggering' and criticised the Scottish Government for a lack of funding.

Mr Bibby said: "These figures are staggering and back up what patients and staff have been saying - that the IRH isn't receiving the investment it needs.

"For some time, IRH staff and patients have been deeply concerned about cuts facing local health services and the ongoing repair backlog at the hospital.

"It is time there was action and investment at the IRH to address the full cost of maintenance and repair work that we know now stands at nearly £23m."

Since 2012, health board officials say over £19m has been spent on the hospital, including £800,000 in the last financial year.

Huge sums have been splashed out on a variety of projects, such as a new boiler, the refurbished A&E department and upgrades to equipment.

But Mr Bibby says more needs to be done.

The biggest single cost is £1.15m needed to replace the hospital's generators, particularly the one at the north side of the hospital which has to be replaced within five years.

A similar amount is needed to replace the main switchboard and other outdated electrics and infrastructure.

Mr Bibby said: "This should act as another major wake-up call to the SNP government in Edinburgh.

"The Scottish Government must provide the health board with the necessary resources for the IRH - these repairs cannot simply be pushed down the 'to do list'.

"Whilst the health board need to ensure these repairs are carried out, it is the SNP government who are ultimately responsible for footing the bill - they cannot seriously argue that health spending is being protected when hospitals such as the IRH have such major repair bills to cover."

The Telegraph contacted the health board and the government for comments but had received no response as we went to press.