Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, has denied that the Scottish government pressured officials to fast track the opening of the country’s largest hospital, amid concerns about the safety of its water system.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde revealed this week had faced pressure from the government to open the hospital.
However, the government has denied the claim.
Read also the related story on New Daily Prime: Scottish Labour leader Sarwar demands ex-ministers probeover Glasgow hospital scandal
The health board admitted infections affecting some child cancer patients were probably connected to the hospital’s water system.
Meanwhile, families of patients who became ill or died after contracting infections while receiving treatment at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital said they had been “lied to”, “demeaned” and “smeared”.
The First Minister told MSPs he was confident the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry would provide facts required by affected families and the public.
Swinney has also faced calls from opposition parties to publish documents related to the opening of the hospital.
In response, he said to the MSPs he would be willing to release any relevant documents that had not already been submitted to the inquiry.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay called on the First Minister to dismiss health board officials accused of smearing bereaved families.
The First Minister responded that the responsibility for operational matters rested with the health board.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwer cited an internal report in circulation that warned of a high risk of infections.
Swinney said the Scottish government was not informed about contamination in the hospital’s water system until 2018, three years after the facility opened.
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