Al-Kazemi suspends the work of the Minister of Health and the Governor of Baghdad and refers them to investigation

The UAE offers condolences and solidarity with Iraq ... 82 dead and 110 injured in the Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital fire in Baghdad

The fire started in oxygen cylinders stored at Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad.

Reuters

Yesterday, the United Arab Emirates expressed its condolences over the victims of the tragic hospital accident in the Iraqi capital.

While the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced that the death toll from the fire that broke out on Saturday night at Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad, designated for those infected with Coronavirus, has risen to 82 dead and 110 injured, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi decided to suspend the work of Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi and the Governor of Baghdad, Muhammad Jaber Al-Atta, and refer them to investigation. .

In detail, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed that the UAE expresses its sincere condolences and sympathy to the sisterly Republic of Iraq, government and people, for the victims of the painful accident caused by a fire that broke out in Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad designated for treating patients infected with Coronavirus, and affirms its solidarity with the Republic of Iraq in this regard. Injured.

The ministry added, "The leadership, government and people of the UAE offer sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims, praying to God to provide them with the mercy of his mercy and to ensure a speedy recovery for the injured."

Yesterday, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced that the death toll from the fire that broke out on Saturday night at Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad, designated for those infected with Coronavirus, has risen to 82 dead and 110 injured.

Medical sources and civil defense men said that the victims were using artificial respirators when oxygen cylinders exploded, causing the fire.

A previous toll had reported 58 deaths.

And Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi decided to suspend the work of the Minister of Health and the Governor of Baghdad and refer them to investigation after the Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital fire.

An official statement said, "Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi decided during an extraordinary session with a number of ministers, security leaders and officials to discuss the tragic accident in Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital ... to withdraw the hand of Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi and the Governor of Baghdad, Muhammad Jaber Al-Atta, and refer them to investigation."

Al-Kazemi decided to withdraw the hand of the Director of Al-Rusafa Health and refer him for investigation.

The statement said that after the meeting, Al-Kazemi ordered "to declare mourning for the souls of the martyrs of the accident," considering what happened "damaging the Iraqi national security."

The government statement quoted Al-Kazemi as saying during the emergency meeting that "such an incident is evidence of a default. Therefore, I directed to open an immediate investigation and to guard against the director of the hospital, the director of security and maintenance, and all those concerned until the negligence is found and held accountable."

Al-Kazemi stressed that "negligence in such matters is not merely a mistake. Rather, it is a crime for which all negligent parties must bear responsibility." He demanded that "the results of the investigation into the hospital accident be issued within 24 hours and that the negligent be held accountable, whatever it is."

In turn, the Director of Communications and Media of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, Major General Saad Maan, ruled out the existence of a criminal suspicion in the incident, stressing that investigations are continuing and awaiting their results.

The Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted Maan as saying that "the prime minister has clearly directed to expedite the results of the investigation and its results to hold accountable the negligent," indicating that "civil defense visits are continuing to ascertain the points of imbalance in the procedures related to safety requirements and firefighting systems."

Medical sources said that the fire started in the hospital's oxygen cylinders "stored without observing safety requirements."

The sources said that the fire was caused by negligence, often linked to corruption, in a country of 40 million people, its hospitals are in poor condition, and a large number of its doctors have emigrated due to repeated wars 40 years ago.

The fire broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning, while "30 patients were in the intensive care unit" in Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital, which is designated for the most serious cases of "Corona" injuries, as the flames reached the upper floors, according to a medical source.

"The hospital did not have a fire protection system, and the borrowed ceilings allowed the fire to spread to highly flammable materials," the Civil Defense said.

"Most of the victims died because they were taken or deprived of ventilators, while others suffocated with smoke," he added.

And calls were made in Iraq for the resignation of officials after the fire of the hospital designated for "Covid-19" patients.

The government human rights commission saw it as a "crime" against "patients who were infected with the (Covid-19) virus and put their lives in the hands of the Ministry of Health, but instead of recovering them they perished in the flames."

• The Iraqi Prime Minister declares mourning for the souls of the martyrs of the accident, considering what happened as a prejudice to national security.

• The fire broke out in Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad, which is designated for the most serious cases of people with Corona.

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