ISLAMABAD: During a press briefing in Islamabad on Wednesday, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had a tense exchange with an elderly citizen who raised concerns over the deaths of 14 newborn babies in the fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
The citizen expressed grief over the tragedy and said an FIR should be registered against all those responsible for the incident.
Mustafa Kamal responded by asking the man to come forward and speak to him directly rather than having a video recorded.
The elderly citizen replied that he had no intention of recording a video.
The exchange came after a devastating fire broke out in the nursery of the federally administered PIMS hospital, killing 14 newborn babies.
The deaths have caused widespread grief, particularly among the parents and families of the victims.
A woman at the scene, while speaking in an emotional state, alleged that the nursery unit was locked when the fire started and claimed that neither doctors nor other staff members were present inside at the time.
She further alleged that only the newborns were affected while no hospital staff members were injured.
The father of one of the deceased babies also accused the hospital administration of failing to provide assistance, claiming that instead of helping the families, hospital personnel closed the doors.
The allegations are subject to investigation, while authorities have already announced inquiries into the fire to determine its exact cause and establish responsibility.
