NASIRIYAH, Iraq: Several hospital administrators in a southern Iraqi province have abandoned their posts, local authorities said Saturday, after arrest warrants were issued for senior staff following a deadly hospital fire in the city of Nasiriyah.
Saad Al-Majid, health director of the southern governorate of Dhi Qar, told AFP that management teams of five hospitals had quit as 鈥渢hey鈥檙e unwilling to assume responsibility鈥� over any possible repeat of the tragedy.
At least 60 people were killed in the blaze late Monday at a temporary facility for Covid-19 patients at Nasiriyah鈥檚 Al-Hussein Hospital in Dhi Qar fueled by oxygen canisters exploding.
It was the second such tragedy in Iraq in three months.
In April, a fire at a Covid hospital in Baghdad 鈥� also sparked by exploding oxygen cylinders 鈥� killed 82 people, prompting the country鈥檚 health minister to resign.
Local journalist Adnan Toame said the resignations among senior hospital staff at a time of public outrage were 鈥渆mbarrassing.鈥�
鈥淭hey are shirking their responsibilities when they should instead be redoubling efforts to face up to this crisis,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his is a clear sign of the collapse of the health system in the governorate,鈥� chimed in Nasiriyah activist and journalist Adnan Dhafar.
On Saturday, a small fire broke out at Al-Haboubi hospital in Nasiriyah but it was quickly put out by fire crews, with no fatalities recorded.
Iraq 鈥� whose oil-dependent economy is still recovering from decades of war and international sanctions 鈥� has recorded more than 1.4 million coronavirus cases, including over 17,000 deaths.
Much of its health infrastructure is dilapidated, and investment in public services has been hamstrung by endemic corruption.