Islamabad (HRNW)- Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has called for radical reforms in the management of government hospitals, saying the existing system at PIMS has deteriorated and requires fundamental changes.
Speaking at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Health at PIMS, the minister said the fire spread rapidly and reiterated that an electrical fault in an air conditioner was identified as a possible cause. The committee raised serious questions over fire safety, regulatory inspections and the handling of evidence following the tragedy.
Officials told the committee that the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) had not inspected PIMS in the past two years. Committee members also raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest involving the authority’s leadership and expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of several relevant departments.
Mustafa Kamal said PIMS had effectively become a “fiefdom” and argued that its management needed greater autonomy, professional leadership and performance-based appointments. He also proposed that the government reconsider its role in directly running public hospitals.
The committee said it was dissatisfied with the responses of the CDA, district administration, civil defense and IHRA. It directed officials to provide details of inspections, sealed units and reopened facilities from the past year and invited recommendations from the public and media regarding healthcare reforms.
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