"Burnt Infants want Shahbaz Sharif!"

In Pakistan everyday unfolds a new crisis for the people of this country. Thursday 7^th June 2012 was one particular day when parents of 7 dead infants and 25 critically burnt infants faced the wrath of devastation. This incident of fire happened in the capital of Punjab, Lahore, at Services Hospital, one of the main Government owned hospital. Right under the nose and rule of Shahbaz Shareef the Chief Minister and Health portfolio holder, who was playing the emotional stand with the people of Punjab under a tent at the time, staged on Minar-e-Pakistan.

At 3:15pm Thursday afternoon, fire erupted due to short-circuiting and spread so rapidly that it engulfed the entire Nursery Unit. The clouds of smoke covered the entire unit, while the leakage of oxygen gas also increased the intensity of the fire. The staff on duty, medics all ran out of the fire stricken place where there were helpless infants. No heed was paid to move the babies out of that area, parents, relatives (of infants), one guard from the hospital, Rescue 1122 personnel and Edhi officials, (who reached 15 minutes after the incident), broke glass windows in the heavily smoked area and retrieved the infants & shifted the babies to other hospitals. With 7 burned to death, the rest of the 25 who were retrieved were critically burnt who have been placed at the CCU ward. The Rescue 1122 officials who did turn up were untrained fire fighters who sprayed water, without caring the babies trapped there, as carelessly as one of the babies fell from the bed due to the intensity of the shower. Those babies who have been saved too stand a little chance in survival since 40 per cent body of an adult is burnt, while a baby cannot sustain even minor heat due to the fire or sizzling hot weather.Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Health, Khawaja Salman Rafique confirmed six deaths. He told reporters that the bodies of two babies had been handed over to their families, adding that the remaining four babies were completely burnt; therefore, they would be handed over to the aggrieved families after conducting the DNA tests.

What is astonishing in this case is the fact: On how the medics ran out of the Nursery. How the fire extinguishers if they were placed did no good at a time like that. How the crying babies were left mercilessly. How is it that the Punjab Government Blatantly refuses to accept the deteriorating conditions of Public Hospitals? Why is it that the Electric wiring which is being referred to being the sole cause of this incident, when it was last updated and repaired in 1987? Witnesses there said the hospital administration fled from the ward soon after it caught fire leaving the babies inside. On the other hand, the hospital spokesman said they ran away to save their lives.

The Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif reached the hospital at 5:30pm at which he launched an enquiry to the incident and a report is handed to him in 24 hours. What will he do now? Give Rs. Five lakh each to the bereaved parents? Terminate a few negligent Hospital staff? Or will he after doing both the above still defend that the health conditions, the services provided were all A-Okay according to his standards? And what are his standards by the way? Has he taken ANY formal training in hospital and health management which he is maintaining the portfolio of, that he audaciously holds close to his chest? Retaining provincial health ministry among others, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has relinquished eight ministries which he has devolved to other cabinet members, assistants and advisors without appointing any new minister. The chief minister has also changed portfolios of the ministers. Shahbaz has retained provincial Health Ministry defying a strong demand of the Opposition to hand it over to anyone else after over 100 lives were lost to faulty medicines supplied by a Karachi-based company. That incident happened only some months back, not so long ago when innocent people then too paid through their lives.

It was only a year ago when hundreds died due to Dengue outbreak, then too innocent people paid through their lives. Does Shahbaz Sharif realize there are too many mishaps happening in his time and era of rule? Is it too much to ask an incompetent person to stop what he is not good at doing? Or is it too much to ask the CM: To quit playing with the lives of people of Punjab since this portfolio he dearly holds on to is no doubts bringing him millions to plunder from but is opening hell on innocent lives. That: His incompetence is now evident from the attitudes of the junior staff too. When reports and enquiries bear no significance and bring out NOT ONE person accountable; Then the one person in all the mishaps relating to Health, accountable is the one who holds this portfolio, either he should leave it or pay the price. The parents of these infants should file a suit against the CM for incompetence, mismanagement, gross misuse of health funds and demand justice only from the SC. The CM should realize those innocent babies died in pain, a suffering they were not looking forward to when they came to this world two days ago, because of his negligence, his greed, innocent blood wants justice, from the court of this land or the Court of Allah!
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