John Swinney has come under intense pressure over the infected water scandal at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
He been told to sack the health board bosses who presided over the opening of the hospital and how concerns were then ignored and denied.
Russell Findlay, Conservative leader, told the First Minister, patients and families of children who died at the hospital have been “lied to” and “smeared” and staff were “bullied into silence” for raising concerns about the water supply.
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Findlay asked John Swinney at First Minister’s Questions if he would “sack those responsible”.
He said the health board has now admitted it was opened too early and said political pressure was applied to open it on time and on budget in 2015.
Both Findlay and Labour Leader, Anas Sarwar, demanded to know who applied the pressure and why.
Sarwar, who has been campaigning on the issue for years, was furious and demanded to know who put pressure on the health board to open the hospital.
He said that decision had “devastating consequences”.
He said: “Pressure was applied to open on time and on budget and it is now clear the hospital was opened too early.
“It led to the death of at least two children."
He demanded: “Who applied that pressure and why?”
Swinney said the Public Inquiry is seeking to get answers and Lord Brodie, its Chair, must be allowed to do that work.
He said: “The hospital opened in 2015. The first the Scottish Government was advised of water contamination was March 1, 2018."
Sarwar continued to demand answers, pointing out that senior current government members were also involved when the hospital opened.
He said “When this hospital opened Nicola Sturgeon was First Minister, John Swinney was Deputy First Minister and Shona Robsion was Health Secretary.”
He said there were warnings of “high risk of infection” but the government “ignored it”.
He added: “Whistleblowers were bullied and gaslit”.
He demanded again: “Who applied that pressure and why? “
Swinney said: “These issues are the subject of the Public Inquiry.
“The Government clearly expected the hospital to open and operational responsibility lay with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
"These issues are subject to the inquiry Lord Brodie must undertake.
"I agree the treatment of staff and whistleblowers was unsatisfactory."
He added: “When raised in March 2018 the government put in place a sequence of events that led to the Public Inquiry to get to the truth.”
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