THE deaths of 14 newborns in the fire tragedy at PIMs are a grim reminder of how quickly institutional neglect can turn into human catastrophe. On Friday, both the National Assembly and the Senate held discussions on the tragedy, with treasury and opposition benches agreeing on the need for a special parliamentary committee to investigate what happened.
An investigation is necessary, but it must not end with identifying officials responsible for negligence. We have witnessed too many inquiries after tragedies, followed by temporary outrage and eventual silence. The real test is whether this tragedy produces lasting improvements in country’s public hospitals. During the parliamentary debate, PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid made an important proposal: a law should require government employees, elected representatives and judges to receive medical treatment at public-sector hospitals. His argument is simple and compelling. If those who make decisions are compelled to depend on the same hospitals as ordinary citizens, the condition of these institutions could improve within days. This proposal deserves serious consideration. Pervaiz Rashid has close links with the top PML-N leadership, including Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz Sharif. His suggestion should therefore not remain merely a parliamentary observation. It should be taken up by government and translated into a concrete policy through necessary legislation. Everyone knows the condition of PIMS and many other public hospitals. Yet governments routinely find resources for roads, buildings and other infrastructure while basic healthcare facilities serving predominantly poor citizens remain neglected. The political elite and bureaucrats can turn to private hospitals while the poor have nowhere else to go. The PIMS tragedy must therefore mark a turning point. Accountability for negligence is essential yet transforming public hospitals must become the ultimate objective. If political leaders genuinely want public hospitals to improve, they should be made to rely on the same hospitals for their personal medical treatment.
