The fire at Ibn al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad has angered Iraq and demanded the resignation of the Minister of Health.
According to Kadhim Bohan, head of the country's civil defense, the hospital did not have a fire protection system and insufficient roofs meant that the flames quickly spread to highly flammable materials.
Security must be reviewed
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has promised that the cause of the fire will be thoroughly investigated and has issued a three-day mourning period.
Just hours after the fire, according to the news agency AFP, he fired two high-ranking medical directors and gave the authorities 24 hours to present their conclusions of the investigation.
"We must immediately review security measures at all hospitals to prevent such a painful event in the future," Khalid al-Muhanna told state television, Reuters reports.
Already hard-pressed healthcare
The Iraqi healthcare system was already severely damaged by decades of sanctions, war and malpractice.
Then came the corona pandemic and posed even tougher challenges.
More than 15,000 deaths have been registered in the country during the pandemic.
UN envoy to Iraq Jeannine Hennis-Plasschaert has expressed "shock and pain" over the incident in a statement, and is now calling for stronger protection measures in hospitals so that something similar does not happen again.
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See the pictures from inside the hospital Photo: Reuters