Anas Sarwar calls for inquiry into death of 10-year-old girl at QEUH
The leader of Scottish Labour has called for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of a 10-year-old girl from an infection.
Speaking at the last First Minister's Questions before Holyrood enters the pre-election recess, Anas Sarwar raised the case of Milly Main, who was recovering from leukaemia when she died in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow after contracting an infection.
A report on the hospital this week found there had been "significant failings'' in infection prevention and control, governance and risk management.
Mr Sarwar has been working with Milly's mother Kimberly Darroch on the issue, and supports the family's calls for a FAI into how Milly died.
Urging First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to also support an investigation, Mr Sarwar said: "I know the First Minister cannot direct the Lord Advocate, but given the findings in this report, does she agree there must now be that fatal accident inquiry?''
The First Minister stressed the need for her not to influence the decisions of the Scottish Government's law officers, who have responsibility for calling FAIs.
But she added: "In terms of Milly's family... I would say this to her family and to the families of all the children affected - there is a determination on the part of me and the Government to get the answers required but also to make sure that lessons are learned.
"We will not rest until that is done.''
Mr Sarwar said the issues at the QEUH and the delayed Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, in response to which a public inquiry was set up, was just one of the huge challenges our country was facing even before Covid, there are countless others''.
Clearly alluding to pushes for another independence referendum, to which he is opposed, Mr Sarwar said politicians should not return to the same issues in the next parliamentary session that have been debated in this one.
He added: "We know that even when lockdown ends and the virus is defeated, we will need to focus all our energy and effort on delivering the strong and fairer recovery that Scotland needs.
"We can't come back after May 6 and carry on with the old arguments, politicians fighting with each other, arguing in their own interests and not the national interest. Why can't the First Minister see that?''
In response, Ms Sturgeon said: "Every single day in the past year, I have focused... 100% on trying to lead a country through a crisis and that will continue to be my focus for as long as I am First Minister.
"As we come back from the election - yes we have differences of opinion, we should debate these things rigorously.
"The future of the country really matters, and it really matters that we get it right.
"We shouldn't shy away from these debates, but we should do it respectfully, we should do it civilly and we should all do it recognising that while we might disagree, we all have the best interests of this country at heart.
"That's the spirit I hope we will bring back with us, those of us coming back, after the election into the new session of Parliament.''