PIMS fire: Health minister vows accountability, urges reforms

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has vowed that no one responsible for the deaths of 14 infants

ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has vowed that no one responsible for the deaths of 14 infants in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) fire will be protected, calling for major reforms across the country’s healthcare system.

Speaking in the Senate on Friday, Kamal said the tragedy must not be allowed to fade away after a few days. He stressed that the incident required accountability, a thorough investigation and concrete measures to prevent similar tragedies.

“I am holding myself responsible, and I have presented myself to be held accountable,” the minister said while expressing grief over the loss of the infants.

Kamal called for a comprehensive investigation and suggested that the inquiry committee should not be restricted by a fixed deadline. He said a detailed probe could reveal wider weaknesses within the health sector.

The minister described the healthcare system as deeply flawed and said the PIMS tragedy should be treated as an opportunity to identify and correct systemic problems.

He argued that accountability should extend beyond the immediate incident and include issues related to management, resources and the overall delivery of healthcare services.

Kamal also highlighted the wider child mortality crisis in Pakistan. He said hundreds of thousands of children between the ages of one and five die every year, with many deaths being preventable.

He said the infants who died at PIMS could not be brought back, but the government and parliament had a responsibility to ensure that other children were protected from preventable deaths.

The minister urged lawmakers to move beyond speeches and work together on practical reforms. He offered his ministry’s cooperation to parliament and said officials should be held answerable for shortcomings in the healthcare system.

Kamal also said an inquiry committee was expected to submit its report on the PIMS incident. He added that the government would consider concerns raised by lawmakers if they were not satisfied with the findings.

Rs5 million compensation announced

Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced Rs5 million in compensation for each family that lost a child in the PIMS fire.

Speaking during a visit to the hospital, Chaudhry described the deaths as the result of alleged criminal negligence and said the government would take action against officials found responsible.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed an inquiry committee to investigate the incident and assured that officials found guilty of negligence would face exemplary punishment.

Chaudhry acknowledged that financial assistance could not compensate families for the loss of their children but said the payment was intended to provide some immediate relief.

He said the compensation would be deposited into the accounts of the mothers of the deceased infants.

Responding to questions about calls for DNA testing, Chaudhry said most of the infants reportedly died from suffocation caused by smoke rather than burns. He said the children were identifiable because newborns had identification tags carrying their mothers’ names.