Islamabad: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal reportedly submitted his written resignation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif within hours of the deadly fire at PIMS hospital, but the prime minister declined to accept it and asked him to remain in office until the inquiry into the tragedy was completed and responsibility determined.
According to highly informed sources, the health minister informed the Prime Minister’s Office of his decision shortly after the August 26 tragedy at the Mother and Child Health Centre of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.
Fourteen newborn babies lost their lives in the fire at the PIMS nursery.
Sources said Mustafa Kamal submitted his resignation in writing and the prime minister was informed of the decision within hours of the incident.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, did not accept the resignation and instead directed the health minister to continue performing his duties until the inquiry committee established the cause of the tragedy and determined responsibility.
According to the sources, the health minister was also asked not to make his resignation public while the investigation remained underway.
The development is significant because the government took action against Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghori shortly after the tragedy, while Mustafa Kamal continued serving as health minister.
Kamal subsequently appeared before parliament and the media and defended the government’s commitment to accountability over the incident.
When contacted for comment, Mustafa Kamal did not respond to messages asking whether he had submitted his resignation and whether the prime minister had declined to accept it.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and senior officials associated with the prime minister were also approached for their position on the matter.
They said they had no information about any such resignation being submitted by the health minister.
Since the tragedy, Mustafa Kamal has publicly supported the investigation into the PIMS fire and has repeatedly maintained that those found responsible would not be spared.
Addressing the Senate, the health minister said the tragedy should not be allowed to become an issue that remains in the spotlight for only a few days before being forgotten.
He also called for accountability over the incident as well as broader reforms in Pakistan’s healthcare sector.
Reports of Kamal’s alleged resignation have emerged as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has already ordered action against senior PIMS officials following the submission of an interim inquiry report.
Eight officials, including the PIMS executive director and senior officials of the Children’s Hospital and the Mother and Child Health Centre, have been ordered suspended.
Authorities have also been directed to initiate criminal proceedings against the officials concerned.
The interim inquiry report identified serious shortcomings in the hospital’s preparedness for emergency situations.
Among the deficiencies highlighted was the absence of a detailed and properly rehearsed procedure for responding to a fire and evacuating newborn babies from the nursery.
The report also recommended further technical and forensic investigations to determine the precise location where the fire started and establish its exact cause.
The reported resignation of the federal health minister has added another dimension to the government’s handling of the PIMS tragedy.
According to sources, Mustafa Kamal was prepared to leave office immediately after the deaths, but the prime minister decided that he should remain in his position until responsibility was established through the ongoing inquiry.
The federal health secretary, however, was reportedly removed before the investigation was completed and before complete information regarding the incident had emerged.
