HEALTH SECRETARY Jeane Freeman has hit out at the BBC for suggesting Scotland ran out of PPE at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
A Reporting Scotland segment on Friday said the Scottish Government "knew they were underprepared for a crisis like this".
It said in 2018 Scottish officials wanted to prepare for cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Rhea Wolfson of the GMB Union told the show: "If the Scottish Government knew there were concerns over something as basic as PPE, then why in March was Scotland told that we were well prepared for an outbreak of coronavirus?"
The show went on to quote Freeman saying that Scotland had been stockpiling PPE in anticipation of the pandemic.
It concluded by saying: "South Korea's experience of MERS stood it in good stead for Covid-19. Few other countries can say the same."
Freeman hit back, saying: "Just to be clear @BBCScotlandNews at no point have we run out of PPE in Scotland despite increasing demand & increasing who we supply to. And under mutual aid we have provided assistance to NHS England. Thanks to major effort of all @NHSNSS building on an excellent track record."
Just to be clear @BBCScotlandNews at no point have we run out of PPE inScotland despite increasing demand & increasing who we supply to. And under mutual aid we have provided assistance to NHS England.Thanks to major effort of all @NHSNSS building on an excellent track record.
— Jeane Freeman (@JeaneF1MSP) June 5, 2020
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