PIMS Hospital Incident: Prime Minister Removes Federal Health Secretary From Office
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has dismissed Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri from his position after a tragedy when 14 newborns lost their lives in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital’s nursery ward.
It was decided at a high level emergency meeting held in Islamabad under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister for the review of the incident of fire in the PIMS Hospital, where the Prime Minister had shown extreme dismay at the negligence and lack of accountability at the institution and the administrative lapses.
Health Secretary removed and Inquiry committee formed.
The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, without going into any details, immediately suspended and removed Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, and ordered Federal Minister for Health of the Government of the People’s Republic of Pakistan, Mustafa Kamal to rush to Islamabad.
On the spot, the Prime Minister established a high-level enquiry committee to explore the disaster in detail. The committee will be chaired by the former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan and Establishment Secretary Dr. Barrister Nabeel Awan will serve as its members along with other senior officials.
Directives for the exercise of strict accountability.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took stringent action regarding the tragedy and expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of life of the 14 infants. He stressed that if such an incident occurs with newborns, there is nothing that can be done, so that the causes of such an incident should be investigated in-depth, and exemplary and severe action should be taken against those responsible. The Prime Minister expressed the grief of his heart in the face of this dreadful tragedy and pledged the government’s support to the bereaved parents.