PIMS fire: Govt announces Rs5m family aid

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal vowed on Friday that no one responsible for the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) would be spared, calling for accountability and reforms in the country’s health sector. Addressing the National Assembly, Kamal expressed deep grief over the tragedy, stating that the government was committed to ensuring accountability.

He emphasized that the PIMS fire should not be treated as a fleeting issue, stressing the need to identify those responsible and take measures to prevent future incidents. Kamal warned against suppressing the matter and urged parliamentarians to work together to find a long-term solution, stressing that lives are at stake and that positions and ministries are insignificant compared to the responsibility of protecting human lives.

He offered himself for accountability, calling for a comprehensive and wide-ranging investigation into the incident that would not be limited by a narrow timeframe. Kamal highlighted the urgent need for reforms, noting that Pakistan continues to face serious challenges in preventing child deaths, with around 400,000 children aged between one and five dying annually in the country, or about 1,300 every day, many of which are preventable.

He stressed that while the lives of the infants who died at PIMS cannot be brought back, efforts must be made to ensure the next child is saved. The minister offered the entire Health Ministry for scrutiny and accountability, acknowledging serious shortcomings in the system and warning against removing incompetent individuals alone, as it would not resolve the broader institutional problems facing the health sector.