Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had a heated exchange with an elderly citizen during a press briefing on Wednesday following the fire at PIMS Hospital that killed 14 newborns.
During the news conference, the man called for an FIR to be registered against all those responsible for the tragedy at the federally administered hospital.
Kamal responded by asking the man to approach him directly instead of standing at a distance while being filmed.
“You, too, are simply standing there getting a video recorded; come over here and talk to me,” the minister said.
The elderly man rejected the suggestion, replying: “I have no wish to get a video recorded.”
The exchange came as grieving families raised serious questions about the hospital’s handling of the fire, which broke out in the nursery ward and claimed the lives of 14 infants.
One woman, speaking while visibly distressed, alleged that the nursery was locked when the fire erupted and that no doctors or other staff members were inside at the time. She questioned why only the newborns had died while hospital staff escaped unharmed.
The father of one of the victims also accused the hospital administration of failing to assist families during the emergency.
“Instead of offering assistance, the hospital management closed the doors on us,” he alleged.
The families’ accounts have intensified calls for an investigation into staffing, evacuation procedures and the hospital’s emergency response during the deadly blaze.