NA Health Committee Demands Resignations of Health Minister, PIMS ED
NA Health Committee members Dr Shazia Sobia and Aliya Kamran call for the health minister’s resignation as lawmakers question PIMS management over safety arrangements, electrical audits, fire drills and the cause of the nursery incident.
ISLAMABAD: Calls for the resignation of the federal health minister intensified on Thursday as members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) following the August 26 nursery tragedy and questioned the hospital’s safety and emergency preparedness.
Committee Members Call for Resignations
Committee member Dr Shazia Sobia publicly demanded that the federal health minister and the PIMS executive director resign over the incident. Fellow committee member and MNA Aliya Kamran also called for the health minister to step down.
The resignation demands came during the committee members’ visit to PIMS, where lawmakers inspected the affected area and questioned hospital officials about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Committee to Examine Cause and Responsibility
Standing Committee Chairman Mahesh Kumar told reporters that determining whether the incident resulted from a technical fault or administrative negligence would be a key part of the scrutiny. He said the committee would also examine the report of the fact-finding committee.
Kumar said lawmakers had been told that the fire was linked to an air-conditioning unit, but the exact source remained unclear. He said the committee also sought information about CCTV footage and was informed by the PIMS executive director that it did not clearly establish what happened.
Questions Raised Over Fire Safety
Committee member Gul Asghar said officials were questioned about when the last fire-safety drill was conducted, how many electrical audits had taken place over the past 30 years and what fire-alarm arrangements existed at the hospital.
Lawmakers also sought details regarding the PIMS budget and questioned what safety measures had been in place in the newborn nursery.
Aliya Kamran Questions Accountability
Aliya Kamran, while demanding the health minister’s resignation, also questioned how accountability would proceed after the federal health secretary had already been removed from his position.
Resignation Calls Are Not Findings of Responsibility
The resignation demands remain political and parliamentary calls by individual committee members and do not constitute a finding of responsibility. The circumstances of the PIMS incident and any institutional or individual responsibility remain subject to the relevant official investigations.
