No one will be spared over PIMS fire: Mustafa Kamal

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Friday vowed that no one responsible for the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which claimed the lives of 14 infants, would be spared, as he called for accountability and sweeping reforms in the country’s health sector.

Addressing a session of the National Assembly, Kamal expressed profound grief over the tragedy and said the government was committed to ensuring accountability.

“No one will be spared or protected,” he said, adding that he was speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the entire government.

The health minister said the PIMS tragedy should not be treated as an issue that fades away after a few days, stressing the need to identify those responsible and take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

He warned against suppressing the matter and urged parliamentarians to work collectively to find a long-term solution.

“This is about the lives of children, and we are answerable to God for them,” Kamal said, adding that positions and ministries were insignificant compared with the responsibility of protecting human lives.

He also said there could be no justification for the deaths of the infants and offered himself for accountability. “I am holding myself responsible and have presented myself for accountability,” he said.

Kamal called for a comprehensive and wide-ranging investigation, saying any inquiry into the incident should not be restricted by a narrow timeframe.

“When this incident is investigated, many other issues connected to it will come to light,” he said, pointing to deeper structural problems within the health sector.

The minister said the tragedy had exposed the urgent need for broader reforms, noting that Pakistan continued to face serious challenges in preventing child deaths.

Citing figures during his speech, Kamal said around 400,000 children aged between one and five die annually in the country, or about 1,300 every day, with many of the deaths being preventable.

“We cannot bring back the infants who died at PIMS, but we must ensure that the next child is saved,” he said.

The health minister said there was little value in speeches or expressions of grief if the government failed to learn from the tragedy and bring about meaningful change.

“Start with me,” he said, offering the entire Health Ministry for scrutiny and accountability.

The minister also acknowledged serious shortcomings in the system, saying that removing incompetent individuals alone would not resolve the wider institutional problems facing the health sector.

Referring to the inquiry into the PIMS fire, Kamal said the committee’s report was expected to be presented later in the day, adding that the government was prepared to listen to parliamentarians if they had concerns about its findings.

NA calls for strict action, stronger fire safety measures

Meanwhile, the National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution expressing profound grief and sorrow over the deaths of 14 infants in the recent fire at PIMS in Islamabad.

The resolution, moved by Federal Coordinator of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights and Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Danyal Chaudhary, expressed grave concern over the alleged negligence and safety lapses that led to the loss of innocent lives.

The House called on the government to take strict action, in accordance with the law, against anyone found responsible for negligence or failures in safety arrangements.

The resolution also urged the government to ensure the strict implementation of fire safety and emergency preparedness measures at federal government hospitals, particularly in neonatal and paediatric units, to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

The National Assembly extended its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for strength and fortitude for them in their time of grief.