Jeane Freeman has defended her decision to not publicly disclose information relating to a child's death at a Glasgow hospital.

The health secretary is facing calls to resign after it emerged she had known about a young cancer patient's death at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which a whistleblower claimed was linked to a contaminated water supply.

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar, who was told the allegations and raised them at First Minister's Questions, accused the Scottish Government of a "cover up".

An official investigation into water contamination at the hospital found 23 cases of child cancer patients with the bloodstream infection Stenotrophomonas in 2018 but an NHS whistleblower told Mr Sarwar an internal investigation uncovered a further 26 cases since 2017 - including the child who had died.

According to the MSP, the parents of the child had never been told the true cause of death.

Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs has since told Freeman she should "resign or, if she refuses, be sacked".

But Freeman said in a letter to Sarwar, dated November 15: "I wanted to write to you regarding the whistleblower who I understand made contact with you in relation to a paediatric-oncology patient who died in 2017 at the Royal Hospital for Children, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

"Given the seriousness of the situation and the significant distress which has been caused I would like to clearly state my understanding of the facts and the actions I have taken.

"On 17 September 2019, I announced the public inquiry into issues that have arisen at the QEUH and at the RHCYP in Edinburgh. Following this announcement, I received correspondence on the 20 September from the bereaved parent of a child who had died after receiving treatment at the QEUH in 2017. This was the first time I had been made aware of this child's death. On the date I received the letter, the ward which haemotology/oncology patients were receiving care, 6A, was closed to new admissions and had been since August 2019.

"On 23 October, I wrote to the parent expressing my concern for them and my condolences for their very sad loss. I also advised them that I was ensuring that senior staff from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde would make personal contact with them to address the questions I was sure they would have.

"Following my intervention I have checked and been assured that communication has been established, which will provide the necessary information for the family. I also made clear to the parent my intention that the public inquiry will be an opportunity for the voices of families to be heard and for answers to be provided.

"I am at all times aware of the importance of patient confidentiality and so rightly I believe, I did not treat this correspondence as a public matter. The ward in which the child concerned in the correspondence I received on 20 September, 2A/2B, was closed and undergoing remedial and upgrading work. Any suggestion that children were at risk after I received this information is therefore incorrect.

"However, there are additional issues you have raised on the basis of information you have received. I would want to address these as a matter of urgency but to do that, I need to have sight of that information. So I would be grateful if you would provide me with that as soon as possible."

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it was not possible to conclude the infections identified in 2017 were connected to the water supply because national guidance did not require tests for Stenotrophomonas at that time.

The health board has insisted its water supply is safe, and in a statement it criticised the whistleblower for passing information to Mr Sarwar, claiming it was "causing additional distress to families and to other families of cancer patients".

A spokeswoman said: "In 2017, we investigated two individual cases of Stenotrophomonas which were not linked. We reported these cases both to the national expert body, Health Protection Scotland and to our board.

"These cases were also reviewed again in July 2019 when the clinical view was that no further action was required.

"At the time of the initial investigation into these cases, national guidance did not include a requirement for health boards to test for Stenotrophomonas in the water supply.

"Stenotrophomonas is widespread and is present throughout the general environment.

"As no tests were carried out at the time, it is not possible to conclude that these infections were connected to the water supply."