Pakistan People Party leader Dr. Sharmila Farooqi has demanded the immediate resignation of Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal after a fire in the PIMS Hospital nursery killed 15 newborns.
“If the ministry cannot protect newborn babies in hospitals under it, then what is the purpose of holding office. She added that enough speeches and excuses have been made and Kamal should resign” she said. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman also spoke outside PIMS and said the emergency department’s door was locked and doctors were not available at the time of the incident. She said the minister responsible should resign voluntarily.
Sindh Government Spokesperson Sukhdev Hemnani also called for Kamal’s resignation, saying the accountability process should begin with the minister himself. He stated that the health minister’s job is to run the ministry, not to appear on TV channels or hold photo sessions.
Hemnani questioned where Kamal was during the tragedy and said he should have been in Islamabad instead of Karachi. He added that if Kamal does not resign, the Prime Minister should dismiss him so a clear and transparent inquiry can take place.
PPP leader Nayer Hussain Bukhari said suspending one secretary was not enough. He argued that the Health Ministry had failed to manage even two federal hospitals and questioned how it could manage hospitals across the country.
Sindh Government spokesperson Saadia Javed described the deaths of 15 children as a serious failure of the federal healthcare system and administrative negligence.
Responding to the criticism, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said he had presented himself for accountability before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and that the PM would decide his fate. He said whoever is found responsible will not be spared. According to Kamal, CCTV footage showed a spark near an air conditioner at 6:38am and oxygen in the ward intensified the fire. He assured that the government would not hide any information.
The fire broke out in the gynecology and nursery ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. PPP leaders alleged there was no water in the fire tanks and gates were closed during the incident. The tragedy has triggered nationwide calls for accountability within the federal health ministry.
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