The tragedy that struck families at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in the federal capital is beyond words. In fact, it is almost impossible to even imagine what they would be actually going through after losing their newborn children to hospital fire. While we may struggle to offer even remotely meaningful condolence to the grieving families, there is no reason why we should not raise our voice to demand accountability; brutally honest and professional accountability.

If negligence in terms of staffing, safety arrangements or emergency response is established, every responsible person within hospital management and staff as well as senior government authorities and the ministry concerned must be made to face accountability. State-managed hospitals cannot be allowed to treat public safety as an afterthought.

However, the healthcare crisis is not limited to public-sector hospitals. When citizens turn to private hospitals, they often face another grim reality of blatant commercialisation. Private-sector healthcare is generally treated as a business rather than a service. Expensive consultations, tests, procedures and hospital charges place quality treatment beyond the reach of many ordinary families. A healthcare system where public hospitals suffer from negligence and private hospitals make essential treatment unaffordable leaves the common man trapped between neglect and exploitation.

The federal government should focus on streamlining hospitals both in the public and private sectors in this regard. The relevant authorities must ensure safe, functional and accountable public hospitals, while healthcare providers in the private sector must be regulated so that profit does not come at the expense of affordable and dignified treatment. Healthcare is a human necessity — not a privilege meant exclusively for those who can afford it, nor a business oppor- tunity built on the helplessness of the sick.

Wasif Khaliq Dad

Rawalpindi