Former Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has died in hospital after a short illness. She was 72.
A former nurse, and civil servant, she initially entered politics as a special adviser to Labour First Minister Jack McConnell before joining the SNP and becoming MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley in 2016.
She was appointed Health Secretary two years later, leading the government’s response to the Covid pandemic, before standing down at the 2021 election.
She ordered a public inquiry into the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and a new children’s hospital in Edinburgh.
Born in 1953 and raised in Ayr she spent 12 years running social enterprise Apex Scotland, working with employers and former prisoners and was awarded an OBE in 1996 for her work rehabilitating offenders.
She chaired the board of the Golden Jubilee Foundation and was a member of the Parole Board for Scotland and the Judicial Appointments Board.
First Minister John Swinney said: “Jeane devoted her life to serving the public, and I am shocked and saddened at her death.
“In her long and varied career, Jeane always had people at her heart and had an unrelenting aim to improve people’s lives. Working alongside her as a Minister, I was always struck by her strong belief in the power of compassion and a desire for people to be treated always with dignity fairness, and respect – values she put at the heart of Scotland’s first social security system.?
“As Health Secretary during the Covid pandemic, she faced up to the biggest public health crisis Scotland has ever seen and steered a course through an immensely difficult time for our country and our health service, working tirelessly and acting throughout with honesty and selflessness.? ?
“I will miss her greatly, and my thoughts and deep condolences are with her partner Susan and wider family, and her many friends.”
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