The patients in Scotland can only go to the court if they fail to get hospital treatments within 12 weeks' time, under the new Patients' Rights Bill, released yesterday.

Hence the patients in Scotland will now be given new rights to take legal action against the NHS. According to health secretary Nicola Sturgeon, the waiting time limits will now be legally bound.

On one hand, the campaigners showed worries regarding the extra bureaucracy and pressure that the Patient Rights (Scotland) Bill could have on the NHS, while on the other hand, opposition parties opined that lawyers will be benefitted as far as putting waiting times on a legal footing is concerned.

The bill will also look into the creation of a Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) and Patient Rights Officers so that people are able to make complaints.

Ms. Sturgeon said, "We listened to the concern that was raised about creating a culture of litigation, the so-called 'lawyers by the bedside' phenomenon. The bill, very clearly, does not give patients new rights to sue the NHS".

She added that the bill is not about punishing the NHS for not giving the required treatment to the patients, but it's about making it clear legally about what boards should do in order to give the patients a good standard of care.

Ms. Sturgeon said boards could be called to address their failings. Patients could also complain using the new procedures.