Fire causes chaos in Iraqi hospital
The Ibn al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad was badly burned on Sunday, killing at least 80 people. The death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours due to the high number of people injured with severe burns. The accident occurred on the intensive care floor by COVID-19. According to medical sources, the fire was caused by an explosion of an oxygen tank.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has ordered an investigation into the incident. He has also vowed to hold accountable any negligent person who may have caused the tragedy. However, on social media, Iraqi citizens have blamed the government, showing their indignation, anger and calling for the dismissal of Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi.
Decades of conflict in Iraq have hit the health sector hard. Medicines and beds for patients are in short supply in all the country's hospitals. According to Civil Defence officials, who reported the rescue of 90 people, "the hospital had no fire protection system". In addition, the flames spread quickly due to "false ceilings that allowed the fire to reach highly flammable products".
"Most of the victims died because they had to be moved and the fans had to be removed, while the others were asphyxiated by the smoke", reported the Civil Defence. Many people, in desperation, fled the fire by jumping out of windows. Others fought the flames to try to save their loved ones.
The health situation in Iraq is serious due to the lack of equipment and the dire state of the hospitals. It also has to cope with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. In early April, the country recorded 8,332 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day, its highest number since records began. Recently, the Ministry of Health has issued a statement warning about the increase in cases. The government blames citizens for not complying with the measures, celebrating weddings and other family gatherings. "Those who continue to disregard prevention measures and instructions are responsible for the increase in the number of infections", it said in the statement.
The president has met with tribal leaders, activists and influential people to inform citizens about the severity of the disease and the toll it is taking on Iraq's weak health system. On the other hand, the vaccination process is proving very slow. So far, Iraq has received 386,000 doses, an insufficient number for a country of almost 40 million people. Suspicions and rumours about the vaccine's side effects have created uncertainty among the population, so few citizens have booked appointments to receive the dose.