Celebrity thoughts
"First of all I’d like to thank those wonderful nurses at Bellshill.
"The year was 1962 and yes, yours truly made his entrance into the big wide world.
"Who would have thought 18 months later I would be employing the services of NHS Lanarkshire again.
"It was a lovely summer’s day and my mum decided the best place for me was in the back garden.
"So there I was strapped into my pram, but before you knew it I was lying on the ground waiting for an ambulance to take me to Hairmyres Hospital.
"It seems I fell out of the pram (some say I dived) after close inspection at the A&E it was discovered I had a hairline fracture.
"Happy sixtieth NHS Lanarkshire, many happy returns."
Ally McCoist: Former Rangers and Scotland star and currently Rangers assistant manager.
"Over the years I have health professionals in Lanarkshire to thank for the care they have given to my family.
"From our GP surgery in Bellshill, or Newarthill when I was a child, to the old Law Hospital where everything from broken arms, car accidents and heart disease, cancer and strokes were dealt with – though I’m glad we have a new hospital building in Wishaw General.
"The team at Monklands – from surgeons to cancer care nurses – was wonderful in the treatment of my mother and I am glad that their fight to keep its Accident and Emergency department open was won.
"The dedication, care and kindness are what people really treasure in the NHS.
"Careers are great things and financial reward is essential for those who do these jobs, but caring for others as we would like to be cared for ourselves is what we all appreciate most.
"All power to your collective elbows."
Elaine C Smith: Actress and writer.
"Our NHS has grown remarkably in its 60 year history but it remains one of the greatest post-war achievements of our country.
"Our local NHS wouldn’t be the service it is today if it wasn’t for the committed members of staff who make this public service possible.
"The NHS gets a lot of bad press, but there are thousands of good news stories that happen within this remarkable service every single day.
"I am proud of the work of NHS Lanarkshire in our community, and I’d like to thank all the staff for all they do."
Jack McConnell: Motherwell and Wishaw MSP and former First Minister.
"My mother had to spend time in Law Hospital a number of years ago due to illness and my father also had to spend time in Monklands Hospital for the same reason.
"On both occasions they received great care from the staff working.
"They were absolutely magnificent and I’d like to thank the staff for that.
"Happy birthday NHS Lanarkshire."
Billy McNeill: Former Celtic captain and manager.
"The National Health Service touches our lives and that of our families’ everyday, sometimes great joy at the birth of a child sometimes in sadness at the diagnosis of disease and illness.
"Whatever the reason, we rely on the professionalism and compassion of all those who work in the NHS, the cleaner or porter, the nurse, the GP, the doctor or consultant, the support staff and managers, at home, in the community and in hospitals, they all can and do make a difference.
"We are living longer and beating many of the diseases which took so many people too early, deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer are down due to the work of our NHS.
"Many of us are working with our NHS to prevent ill health but of course there is more to do and we all must play our part.
"Happy 60th to our NHS."
Andy Kerr: East Kilbride and Strathaven MSP and former Scottish Health Minister.
"The National Health Service is often referred to as the “Jewel in the Crown” of the British welfare system.
"It is truly the best gift that the British people have ever given to themselves.
"The decision that every British citizen should have access to the healthcare they need, when they need it, irrespective of their rank, status or bank account, is surely one of the most principled decisions in British history.
"Here in Lanarkshire most of us have a personal tale to tell about how the NHS has benefited ourselves or our family.
"In my case, I owe my life to the NHS; since it was only through the provision of free healthcare and the efforts of doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff that I was saved from the lethal effects of para-typhoid fever at the age of fourteen.
"So, on this 60th Anniversary I celebrate, as millions do, a health service that has given so much to so many, at a personal and a national level.
"Happy birthday NHS."
John Reid: Airdrie and Shotts MP and former Health Secretary.
"My wage as a first year apprentice Marine Engineer with Barclay, Curle & Co of Whiteinch, Glasgow was a massive 95 pence per week.
"I was looking forward to earning over £1 per week as a second year apprentice but due to the new National Health contribution my expected increase to over £1 per week never materialised and I only received 98 pence per week for my second year in employment.
"The modern NHS is now the largest employer in the UK and it has served as a worthy example to many other countries.
"We all still expect to get free care from the cradle to the grave and although this has still to be achieved 100 per cent, I firmly believe that we will reach this goal in the future."
John Swinburne: Motherwell FC director and leader of Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party.
“I feel very strongly about the NHS.
“There are always going to be difficulties in such a massive organisation but for the vast majority of times the service provided is first class.
“Three of my friends recently received treatment in NHS hospitals for various reasons but each one of them said the support, care and professionalism of all the staff was beyond compare.
“But the media are not interested in good news stories so the NHS unfairly gets an absolute battering.
“We need to start hearing about the successes of the health service as well.
“I feel sorry for the doctors, nurses and all the other NHS staff as the constant negative coverage must be very de-motivating and they must sometimes think ‘What’s the point?’.
“But they are doing such a superb and fantastic job.
“We need to start emphasising the positives rather than just concentrating on the problems.
“People today take the fact we have a free national health service for granted. It is a fantastic service and one that the whole country should be proud of.
“I, for one, wish the NHS good luck on its 60th Anniversary and hope it goes from strength to strength in the future."
Kaye Adams: UNICEF UK Ambassador for Scotland and TV Presenter.