Health minister offers accountability after PIMS tragedy

ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has offered himself for accountability following the deaths of newborns in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), as criticism over the tragedy intensified.

Speaking to the media outside PIMS on Wednesday, Kamal said he had placed himself before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for accountability and would accept whatever decision the premier makes.

“I have presented myself before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for accountability. He is my boss and will decide my fate,” the minister said.

Kamal also assured that action would be taken against anyone found responsible for negligence or any other mistake linked to the incident.

The minister said preliminary CCTV footage had provided investigators with an indication of how the fire started. According to him, the footage showed a spark near an air conditioner at around 6:38am. People were seen leaving the area shortly afterwards.

He said the presence of oxygen in the ward caused the flames to intensify rapidly. Kamal maintained that the government would not conceal any information related to the incident and that those responsible would be dealt with according to the findings of the investigation.

The minister faced protests and angry reactions from people gathered outside the hospital while speaking to reporters. The situation became tense, forcing him to leave the premises.

The tragedy has triggered demands for a transparent investigation and accountability of all officials and staff whose actions or omissions may have contributed to the deaths.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman also called for the health minister’s resignation, saying serious questions had emerged about emergency arrangements at the hospital.

Rehman claimed that the emergency department’s door was locked after the fire and that people had to break windows to gain access. She also questioned the reported absence of doctors at the scene.

The PPP senator said her party was not seeking to politicise the tragedy but had a responsibility to ask questions about the circumstances that led to the loss of newborn lives.

“The minister responsible should resign,” Rehman said.

Another senior PPP leader, Nayer Hussain Bokhari, said the Health Ministry must answer questions surrounding the incident. He argued that holding only a single secretary responsible would not be sufficient if the investigation identifies wider administrative failures.

The incident has placed renewed focus on safety measures, emergency preparedness and accountability at major public hospitals. Authorities are expected to determine the exact cause of the fire and establish whether negligence, equipment failure or administrative shortcomings contributed to the deaths.