Humza Yousaf has faced more calls to resign as Health Secretary as the NHS struggles to deal with escalating A&E waiting times and a looming nurses' strike.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar piled pressure on the Scottish Government today and claimed SNP ministers were "clearly out of their depth".
Nurses across Scotland will walkout later this year after members of the Royal College of Nursing union voted for industrial action after they rejected a flat rate rise of £2,205.
It came after the latest A&E statistics revealed Scotland's hospitals recorded their worst ever waiting times. In the week ending October 30 just 63.1 per cent of patients were treated and either admitted, transferred or discharged within the target time. The government target is 95 per cent.
During a fiery FMQs, where Deputy First Minister John Swinney stepped in for Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross demanded the government sack Yousaf over his handling of the NHS.
Ross said: "Humza Yousaf has failed and all he can do is spin that the SNP is in recovery when really it's at breaking point. Just how much worse does it have to get for patients and staff in Scotland before he takes responsibility?
"Deputy First Minister, Scotland's NHS deserve better than Humza Yousaf. When will this Health Secretary be sacked?"
Swinney hit back at Ross, saying: "Given the absolutely totally chaotic turmoil of ministerial resignations and dismissals in the United Kingdom Government, what a laughable proposition to put to me this morning."
While Sarwar branded the current crisis in the health service as the "worst" ever.
He said: "Nurses have been crying out about the problems for years – long before the pandemic. Let’s not forget, these were staff who kept going even when their lives were at risk from a deadly virus.
"They are now being forced into action to try and save their patients’ lives. Week after week tragic stories come to this Parliament and week after week, we get the same old excuses.
"This Health Secretary and this Government are clearly out of their depth. After fifteen years in Government 750,000 Scots are on an NHS waiting list, we have the worst ever waits at A&E and now the Royal College of Nursing going on strike for the first time in their history.
"That this is the worst crisis our NHS has ever seen - and it is happening on the SNP’s watch."
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