A pre-dawn fire in a Baghdad hospital specializing in treating people infected with coronavirus (Covid-19) killed at least 82 people on April 25. The disaster was attributed to negligence. The health minister was suspended under the pressure of raging public opinion.
Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Khalid al-Muhanna said at least 82 people died and 110 were injured in a fire at a hospital in southeastern Baghdad on Saturday. He added, “We urgently need to review safety measures in all hospitals to prevent such accidents from happening again.
The hospital in Baghdad was Ibn al-Khatib Hospital, which specializes in coronavirus patients. According to medical sources in the country, the cause of the fire was a failure to comply with safety regulations and the explosion of a stockpile of oxygen cylinders.
According to firefighters and doctors, the explosion of the oxygen cylinders caused a fire that quickly engulfed a false ceiling made of flammable material. Many of the victims were patients wearing respirators.
The accident immediately ignited Iraqi public opinion, people are angry, in addition to the death toll is too high, after the medical and security services revealed that the fire was caused by negligence, public opinion more “fuel”.
According to AFP, the Iraqi medical system is not only plagued by negligence and widespread corruption, but also by a shortage of doctors. During the country’s 40-year conflict, many doctors left Iraq and emigrated.
Following the tragedy, the hashtag “health minister resigns” topped the list of keywords on Twitter in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kazimi announced Sunday that he has suspended Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi as part of an investigation into a fire at a Baghdad hospital that killed at least 82 people. The prime minister also declared three days of national mourning.
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