Health secretary's removal raises questions over govt action on Pims inferno

The sudden removal of Pakistan's health secretary Aslam Ghori has raised serious concerns about the government's handling of the recent deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad. Sources close to the former health secretary claim he had made multiple visits to Pims in the week before the August 27 inferno and kept the Prime Minister's Office fully informed of his actions. However, a senior official from the Prime Minister's Office has denied receiving any such reports, creating conflicting accounts over the government's response to the hospital fire crisis.

According to sources close to Mr. Ghori, he visited Pims three to four times between August 21 and August 27, accompanied by staff and medical officials. On August 21, he toured the facility with Dr. Shahid Karim and met with Pims Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar and other doctors. The same day, a detailed report was allegedly submitted to the Prime Minister's House at 6:30 pm, along with a separate report prepared by the Pims Executive Director. Another visit on August 23 involved supervising assigned tasks, with the Pims Executive Director and Head of Radiology present. A follow-up report was sent to the Prime Minister's Office that evening.

When news of the fire broke on August 27, Mr. Ghori immediately went to Pims and prepared an initial incident report using an ICU computer before 11:00 am. The report was sent to the Prime Minister's staff. Parliamentary Affairs Minister also visited the hospital, reviewed the secretary's report, and spoke to the media. Mr. Ghori then attended a scheduled meeting at the Prime Minister's House, where he was reportedly removed from his position despite what his sources describe as proactive engagement in addressing safety concerns at Pims.

Senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office have countered these claims, stating that neither Mr. Ghori nor the health minister informed the prime minister about the secretary's visits or any actions taken regarding Pims. This discrepancy has fueled questions about the justification for the health secretary's removal and whether the full extent of his involvement was considered before the decision was made.

The controversy surrounding the August 27 fire at Pims follows another incident last month in the children's hospital section, raising further concerns about communication failures within the health ministry. Health Minister told the prime minister in a meeting that he had not been informed about the earlier fire either. Sources close to Mr. Ghori also stated that he was unaware of the July incident, deepening the uncertainty over accountability and transparency in managing safety at Pims.

The conflicting narratives have cast doubt on whether the prime minister received a complete picture before taking action against the health secretary. The episode has intensified scrutiny over the government's crisis management and communication protocols at one of Pakistan’s leading public hospitals.

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