The recent dismissal of Health Secretary Aslam Ghori has sparked controversy, with questions emerging about whether the prime minister was fully informed of Ghori’s involvement at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) prior to the devastating fire. Close associates of Ghori reveal that he visited the hospital three to four times in the week before the incident and consistently updated the Prime Minister’s Office on his findings.
Contrastingly, sources within the PM Office maintain there was no knowledge of any such reports or interventions by the health secretary concerning Pims. Ghori’s first documented visit took place on August 21, accompanied by his staff officer, Dr. Shahid Karim. During this visit, he met with Rana Imran Sikandar and several other doctors at Pims. A detailed report from that visit, alongside one prepared by the hospital’s Executive Director (ED), was submitted to the PM House around 6:30 pm the same day.
On August 23, Ghori returned to Pims at approximately 3:00 pm to oversee assigned tasks. Both the Pims ED and the Head of Radiology were present during this visit. Another report was dispatched to the PM House that evening. When the fire broke out on August 27, Ghori promptly arrived at the hospital, met with key officials, and drafted an initial report using a computer at the ICU. This report was sent to the PM’s staff before 11:00 am.
The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs also visited Pims that day, obtained a copy of Ghori’s initial report, and addressed media queries. The health secretary accompanied the minister throughout the media interaction before proceeding to the PM House for a prearranged meeting. It was during this meeting that the prime minister ordered Ghori’s removal, apparently based on incomplete information that did not fully reflect the secretary’s visits or actions at Pims.
Those close to Ghori contend that the prime minister was not adequately briefed about these visits or the secretary’s immediate response to the crisis. Notably, PM Office insiders state that although the prime minister spoke with both the health secretary and the health minister, neither mentioned Ghori’s visits or related actions concerning Pims. This discrepancy raises critical questions about the rationale behind the secretary’s dismissal, given his documented involvement prior to and during the fire emergency.
Additionally, an earlier fire at the Pims children’s hospital last month remains an unresolved issue. Reports indicate this matter was discussed in a meeting on Saturday, where the health minister informed the prime minister that he had not been notified about that prior incident. Ghori’s associates affirm that he was also unaware of the July fire.
These conflicting narratives have intensified debate over whether accountability for the failures at Pims was appropriately assigned or if the prime minister acted prematurely without receiving a comprehensive account of events. The situation underscores the complexities involved in managing the aftermath of the Pims inferno and the challenges in ensuring transparent communication within government ranks.
