Iraq
People mourn killed relatives in a fire at Ibn al-Khatib hospital during a funeral procession in Najaf on April 25, 2021. Photo: Ali Najafi/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s health minister resigned on Tuesday following the death of around 130 people in a fire at a Baghdad hospital late last month.
“After the investigative committee proved that there were no shortcomings by the health ministry in the painful incident, I announce my resignation from managing the Ministry of Health as a moral obligation and in order to preserve my career path, my family and professional history,” Hassan al-Tamimi said in a letter published by the health ministry.
The minister added that there is “no real support for the development of the health situation” and no support for the “white army,” referring to health workers.
Tamimi was suspended after a massive fire ripped through Baghdad’s Ibn al-Khatib Hospital on April 24, killing around 130 people, according to Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights. The government put the death toll at 82.
Iraq’s top court announced the next day that an arrest warrant has been issued for the hospital director and other employees. Iraqi President Barham Salih also called for an immediate investigation into the incident.
In his resignation letter, Tamimi warned that budget issues may lead to a similar tragedy in the future.
“What happened in Ibn al-Khatib…could reoccur in [another] health department or institution, especially since there was no budget in 2020,” said Tamimi, who claimed he had tried to fix “a collapsed health system.”
The fire at Ibn al-Khatib ignited anger across Iraq, with protests demanding the dismissal of the health minister following the incident.
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