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ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Friday visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad and inspected facilities at the hospital’s Cardiac Centre and Intensive Care Unit (ICU), expressing serious concern over shortages and poor maintenance.

During his visit to the Cardiac Centre, the minister inspected the electrophysiology catheterisation laboratory and spoke to patients about the difficulties they were facing. He directed hospital staff to ensure the provision of quality medical care.

Kamal issued strong instructions to the hospital administration, saying employees who were not performing their duties should be removed immediately.

“No one will be allowed to damage the system,” the minister said, stressing that the administration must take decisions instead of allowing problems to persist.

He also directed the newly appointed Executive Director of PIMS, Dr Salman, to complete pending tasks promptly, noting that he had been in the position for four days. The minister also took notice of complaints regarding a shortage of beds at the Cardiac Centre.

Kamal said he would personally visit PIMS regularly, stressing that the issue involved people’s lives. He also directed doctors to avoid harsh behaviour with patients and suggested bringing in outside experts to train medical staff on appropriate patient interaction.

The minister expressed anger over the deteriorating condition of private rooms in the cardiac ward, pointing out damaged walls and criticising the administration for merely repainting them instead of properly addressing maintenance issues.

Also Read: Criminal Investigation Begins into PIMS Fire That Claimed Lives of 14 Newborns

During his subsequent visit to the ICU, doctors raised several complaints, including the availability of only 10 beds, a shortage of staff and inadequate fire-safety arrangements.

Doctors told the minister that despite repeated complaints, additional beds had not been provided and much of the ICU equipment had become unusable. They said that in an emergency, staff had only cylinders available to deal with a fire.

Kamal directed the PIMS administration to remove incompetent employees and replace them with capable personnel. He said the hospital had no room for favouritism and instructed the administration to remove underperforming staff in phases while ensuring that competent people were appointed in their place.

“Decisions are not being taken, and this is damaging the entire system,” the minister said, directing the administration to take immediate corrective measures.

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution rejecting any proposal to divide Sindh or alter its existing boundaries, bringing a four-day debate on the creation of new provinces and administrative units to an end.

The resolution was passed in the absence of opposition lawmakers after members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) walked out of the house during Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s speech.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers strongly rejected the division of Sindh, reiterating that the province is one and will remain united. The chief minister also maintained that even the National Assembly could not discuss the division of Sindh.

The debate was held during Thursday’s session on an adjournment motion concerning proposals for the creation of new provinces. Following four days of discussion, PPP lawmaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, with permission from Speaker Owais Qadir Shah, moved the resolution against the division of Sindh.

Before the resolution was presented, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah addressed the house. During his speech, MQM lawmakers sitting on the opposition benches staged a walkout. As they left the assembly, MQM members also chanted slogans against the idea of Sindhudesh.

Also Read: Sindh High Court Forms Judicial Commission to Probe Mir Raza Murder Case

Following the walkout, Nisar Khuhro sought permission from the speaker to present the resolution. At the time, 105 PPP lawmakers were present in the house, while no opposition member remained in attendance.

The resolution declared Sindh a historic and indivisible land, noting that the province had played a significant role in the creation of Pakistan and that the Sindh Assembly had passed the resolution supporting the province’s accession to Pakistan.

It stated that the assembly rejected any form of division of Sindh and that no changes would be made to the province’s existing boundaries.

The resolution reaffirmed that Sindh is one and will remain one.

Following the unanimous approval of the resolution, PPP lawmakers stood at their benches holding banners bearing the slogan “Sindh, the Motherland” and raised slogans in support of the unity of the province.

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has warned that the issue of dividing Sindh cannot be raised even in the National Assembly, reiterating that his government would strongly oppose any move aimed at splitting the province.

The remarks came during a heated session of the Sindh Assembly, where the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) staged a walkout while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers did not attend the session.

Delivering a forceful speech, Murad Ali Shah addressed the National Assembly and issued a stern warning against discussing the division of Sindh.

“We warn the National Assembly that you cannot even talk about breaking Sindh into pieces or dividing the province,” he said.

Pointing towards the opposition benches, the chief minister accused certain political groups of adopting a double standard. He said the day’s developments had exposed those who, according to him, were speaking about the division of Sindh while taking a different position inside the provincial assembly.

Murad Ali Shah also criticised MQM over its position on the creation of new administrative units. Referring to MQM leader Mustafa Kamal’s remarks in favour of administrative units, he questioned the party’s stance inside the Sindh Assembly, where its members oppose the division of Sindh.

“This is what double standards look like,” the chief minister said, questioning whom MQM was trying to convince.

Also Read: ‘AI Trap’: Former Sindh MPA Seeks Case Against Ex-Wife Over Alleged Fraud, Blackmail

He further claimed that none of the opposition members currently in the assembly had won their seats through a direct public vote, alleging that some lawmakers had entered the house through a different constitutional mechanism. He said details regarding the election of certain members could be presented at an appropriate time.

On the broader debate over the creation of new provinces, the chief minister said population alone could not be used as the basis for such a demand.

“If the issue is governance, then there should be a discussion on administrative reforms to improve governance,” Murad Ali Shah said, adding that the devolution of powers to the grassroots level could also be discussed in detail.

He stressed that administrative reforms should not be mixed with the issue of dividing Sindh. According to the chief minister, additional districts and administrative units could be created in the province if required.

Murad Ali Shah also said strengthening local governments remained a priority for his administration. He added that work was under way on further amendments to the law aimed at empowering and strengthening local government institutions.

ISLAMABAD: A practical test of the fire and rescue system at the Prime Minister’s Office has revealed shortcomings in the emergency infrastructure, including extremely low fire alarm and siren volume and the failure of an electrically operated gate to open in the event of a power outage.

The practical assessment was conducted by Capital Emergency Services as part of a mock fire and rescue drill at the Prime Minister’s Office. During the exercise, officials identified the need for an emergency and manual override system to ensure uninterrupted access and emergency response.

Authorities have directed that the emergency and manual override systems be provided and activated immediately to address the issues identified during the drill.

The exercise also demonstrated a rapid response by the emergency teams. The emergency teams were alerted just one minute after the fire call was received.

Also Read: Mustafa Kamal’s Resignation Likely to Be Accepted After PIMS Tragedy: Sources

The fire alarm was received at 11:32am, following which a fire tender from G-5 reached the Prime Minister’s Office within four minutes. A rescue van and a Bronto aerial platform also arrived at the scene within nine minutes.

The mock fire and rescue drill was successfully completed at 11:58am.

Despite the infrastructure-related shortcomings identified during the exercise, the overall fire and rescue response performance of Capital Emergency Services was declared satisfactory.

Officials emphasized the need to immediately rectify the identified deficiencies to ensure effective emergency response and the safety of personnel and visitors at the Prime Minister’s Office.

ISLAMABAD: A criminal investigation has been launched into the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) that claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies, with police beginning to record statements from suspended hospital officials.

According to details, statements of all eight suspended officials, including the former Executive Director of PIMS, will be recorded as part of the investigation. The development comes after authorities took strict action following the deadly incident and removed the officials from their positions.

On the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, temporary offices have also been established at PIMS for the federal health minister and the health secretary to oversee the situation and monitor hospital affairs.

The health secretary chaired a meeting of administrative officers at the hospital and issued key instructions, stressing that there would be no compromise on the quality of patient care and safety.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal is also scheduled to chair a meeting with the PIMS administration tomorrow. The authorities are simultaneously reviewing arrangements for the inauguration of the hospital’s new emergency department.

The fire at PIMS resulted in the deaths of 14 newborn babies, prompting the government to take immediate action against hospital officials. The Executive Director and seven other officials were subsequently removed from their posts.

Also Read: Crackdown on Islamabad Hospitals After PIMS Tragedy, Fines Exceed Rs14 Million

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met nurse Razia Noreen, who risked her life to rescue a newborn during the fire. The prime minister praised her bravery, describing her as a “daughter of the nation” and a source of national pride.

During the meeting at the Prime Minister’s House, Shehbaz Sharif announced a cash reward of Rs100 million for Razia Noreen and said she would be awarded the Tamgha-i-Khidmat on March 23.

“You have performed an act of courage and bravery that will be remembered,” the prime minister told the nurse, according to the account of the meeting. He said she had risked her own life to save a newborn and performed a remarkable act of bravery.

The prime minister added that the mother of the child rescued by Razia would continue to pray for her throughout her life.

Recounting the incident, Razia Noreen said she was on duty during medication time when she noticed the fire. Without thinking about her own safety, she entered the affected area and asked another nurse to help rescue the babies.

She said she managed to bring one baby out and handed the child to an acquaintance before returning to rescue more newborns. At that moment, she said, a sudden explosion occurred, followed by darkness throughout the area.