THE Tories have launched a stinging attack on the Government after official figures showed worsening queues for heart surgery.

Shadow Health Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said: "Labour said they would reduce waiting times for heart operations, but these figures not only show that there are more people waiting for heart operations than in 1997, but that the problem is getting worse."

Figures released in response to a Parliamentary question from Dr Fox showed that the number of patients waiting for cardiology or cardiothoracic procedures in the third quarter of 2001 to 2002 stood at 41,000, 5,000 more than in the last quarter of 1996-97 when the Tories were still in power.

Dr Fox said the queue lengthened by more than 3,000 in just nine months.

A spokesman for Health Secretary Alan Milburn said that in the past year about 50,000 heart bypass operations were carried out, compared to 38,700 in the last year the Tories were in power.

New national guidelines for the treatment of heart disease had led to more heart patients being identified in the community, he said.

Lives were being saved through earlier intervention and investment in heart services was well under way.

* More evidence emerged yesterday of UK doctors discriminating against women with heart problems.

It was reported this week that men with heart disease were more than twice as likely as women to be given a life-saving bypass operation.

They also stood a better chance of being offered the most effective heart drugs, scientists said.

A separate study by a team has since shown that men with heart attacks are more likely to be admitted to hospital for intensive care treatment than women