Kylie Minogue's hospital treatment for breast cancer has sparked a bitter row in her native Australia, after allegations that heart disease patients were moved from their beds to make way for the singer emerged.

The I Believe In You star, who underwent surgery last month, enraged the families of critically ill patients when her entourage commandeered eight rooms in a ward at Melbourne's Cabrini Hospital.

The daughter of a patient fumes: "One of the security chaps that had a British accent said to me: 'You can't go there.'

"I said: 'Yes I can. I've visited my mother here for a week. I'm certainly going to see her tonight.' These guys escorted me back like a criminal."

Although Minogue reportedly did not demand the drastic measures herself, Australian Health Services Union boss Jeff Jackson claims the special treatment was to protect the singer from press attention, but the measures went too far.

Jackson says: "This was not the way to go. Critically ill patients who were awaiting surgery should not have been transferred unless their medical conditions required it.

"Hospital visitors, staff directly caring for Kylie and other staff were subjected to over-zealous minders from Kylie's camp.

"Staff and visitors suffered difficulties and delays and it disrupted the flow of people through the hospital."