Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Friday vowed that “no one will be spared” while talking about the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) that claimed the lives of 14 infants, adding that the country’s health sector needed to be reformed.

Speaking in the Senate, Kamal said: “No one intends to spare or save anyone. I am saying this on behalf of the prime minister and the entire government that not a single person will be spared”.

He said that the tragedy cannot be an “episode lasting merely a few days,” as he called for accountability and for efforts to prevent such incidents in the future.

The minister warned against “suppressing the issue” and invited the House to work towards a way forward.

“Look at your resources, management and actions and then involve everyone to suggest a way forward,” he said, assuring that the government will support such an approach.

“This is a matter of children’s lives, and we are answerable to god for it. The ministry is nothing; we cannot ruin our afterlife for these ministries,” he remarked.

At the outset of his address, the minister expressed sorrow at the loss of life. “There can be no explanation for this. I am holding myself responsible, and I have presented myself to be held accountable.”

He called for a holistic approach toward investigating the incident, urging that any committee formed to probe should not be “time-bound and should remain open”.

“When you go investigate this incident, you will find so many things associated with it,” he said, pointing to a larger “rot” within the sector.

Kamal held that the health sector was not “ideal”. He explained that “400,000 children between the ages of one and five die every year; 1,300 die every day, and they are all dying preventable deaths”.

He continued: “It is not possible to bring back the infants who died at Pims, but let us look at it as a test from God and protect the next kid from dying.”

Kamal maintained that there was “no point” in making speeches if the government failed to learn from the incident.

“Start from me,” Kamal said, offering himself up for accountability. He continued, “Sit with us and save the next from dying. I am putting the entire ministry at your disposal; every person will be answerable to you.”

He noted that the system was “rotten” and went on to explain: “Where do I find a better person after removing an incompetent one? Everyone says remove one someone else’s thief and hire mine.”

Kamal said that as the day ends today, “1300 children would have died across the country”. Speaking about the inquiry committee’s report, which he said will be presented by tonight, Kamal assured the House: “If you don’t trust it, fair enough [..] we will listen to you.”

The health minister once again reassured the House that, “No one will be spared, no matter how influential they are”.

He went on to ask if the children dying across the country every day, “are they not a mother’s children”. At this, he urged, “We have to come up with a solution, and I am inviting you to guide us and [..] give us a strategic roadmap”.

Kamal offered that the health ministry will provide all the relevant input and information. “Sit with us and find a way forward on how to prevent the next child from dying due to negligence within the resources that we have. I assure you of its implementation”.

However, he added that if matters were to move in that direction, “no MNA should call and ask why a certain doctor was removed”. Calling for “radical reforms” in the health sector, Kamal urged that the Pims fire “can serve as a basis for how we can prevent more children from dying”

The minister further stated that he was “withholding his information” on the fire until the committee’s report. “If you are dissatisfied (with the report), then form a committee, and everyone stands ready to be held accountable”.

Concluding his address, Kamal urged that the “issue should be only closed at a point where we can prevent similar incidents in the future”.

“I am willing to sit here all night and listen,” he added.

Rs5m compensation announced for affected families

Earlier in the day, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced Rs5 million compensation for each family affected by the fire.

Recalling Wednesday’s incident while speaking to the media at Pims, Chaudhry lamented that 14 infants had fallen victim to “someone’s criminal negligence”.

He added that the prime minister had constituted an inquiry committee that was expected to present its report today, assuring that all those “on-duty individuals found guilty of negligence will be given exemplary punishment”.

The minister said the grief of the affected families could not be compensated for.

“Neither can their children be brought back, nor can their grief be reduced,” he added. “But to provide some relief […] the prime minister has announced that Rs5 million will be given to all the affected families.”

Chaudhry said he was visiting Pims to hand over a cheque to one of the affected families on behalf of the prime minister, adding that the compensation amount would be deposited in the accounts of the deceased children’s mothers.

“This is a small effort to share their sorrow,” he remarked.

Responding to a question about demands for DNA tests of the bodies, he said most of the deceased children died in the incident not because they were burnt but because of suffocation due to smoke.

“So all of them could be identified,” he said, adding that after birth, infants had tags with their mothers’ names on their arms. “So they were easily identified.”

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