No One Will Be Spared Over PIMS Tragedy, Says Mustafa Kamal

Speaking during a Senate session, Kamal said a committee formed by the prime minister was expected to submit its report by the end of the day. He urged the opposition to review the report and point out any shortcomings.

“No one will be spared,” Kamal said, adding that neither the prime minister nor anyone else intended to protect those responsible for the PIMS tragedy, “no matter how big a ‘Turam Khan’ they are.”

The health minister said action would be taken against all responsible officials and that the relevant officers would be removed from their current positions.

He also urged lawmakers not to call officials to seek the reinstatement or protection of any officer, saying political interference should not be used to shield those responsible.

Kamal said he considered himself accountable as health minister and had presented himself for accountability over the incident.

He called on the opposition to form its own committee to investigate the tragedy but urged that the process should not be unnecessarily prolonged for 40 days.

Referring to the PIMS incident, Kamal said 15 children had died, while one child in the nursery was rescued by hospital staff.

The minister said Pakistan’s healthcare system was far from ideal and claimed that around 1,300 children die every day across the country. He said approximately 400,000 children die annually and that many of these deaths could potentially be prevented.

Kamal said the PIMS tragedy should not be reduced to dates, committees and investigations. Instead, the incident should become a basis for fundamental reforms in the country’s healthcare system to prevent similar deaths in the future.

He said merely replacing officials would not solve the problem and that the system itself needed to be fixed.

Kamal said the government would thoroughly examine the PIMS inquiry report once it is released and take action wherever negligence is identified.

He stressed that the matter must not be allowed to fade away and called for the government and opposition to work together on a roadmap to prevent the loss of children’s lives in the future.