A GREENOCK grandfather has hit out at hospital chiefs after being told he will have to wait four weeks for a test result.

The 73-year-old, who has previously battled bladder cancer, had a chest X-ray at Inverclyde Royal last week and couldn't believe it when he was told he would not know the results for a month.

The pensioner told the Tele he has been experiencing severe breathing problems.

He said: "I thought I'd misheard and my wife called back to double check and was told it was due to a backlog.

"I don't go to the doctor for nothing.

"This really annoys me.

"There is obviously a problem - where and why is there such a backlog?

"Who do you speak to about it?

"What is taking a month to process?

"It's absolutely ridiculous in this day and age."

The outraged OAP is now filing a formal complaint with the health board.

Health bosses say more patients are being referred for tests, which is causing the delay.

A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We recognise how important it is for our patients that they know the results of diagnostic tests within six weeks and work hard to meet this target.

"The board has seen an increasing demand in people receiving key diagnostic tests.

"This increase is most pronounced in in-patients and emergency department patients.

"As a result, these urgent cases are prioritised which can unfortunately result in delays for the results of less urgent tests.

"We are taking a number of steps to reduce the waiting time including running extra sessions to reduce our waiting times as much as possible."