On Monday evening, the Iraqi Ministry of Health denied that there was a failure to provide medical services to those injured in the Hamdaniya incident, in response to a circulating video of a former MP.
The Iraqi Ministry of Health said in a statement, “Some social media pages circulated a recording of former MP Joseph Saliwa alleging negligence in providing medical services to those injured in the Hamdaniyah incident, the unavailability of some therapeutic materials, and other inaccurate and unreal information that has no connection to reality.”
The statement added: “The Ministry would like to clarify that from the first moment of the tragic accident, the Ministry mobilized all its efforts inside and outside the governorate and sent successive shipments of medicines, medical supplies, specialized personnel and ambulances to support the health department in the governorate. Follow-up was carried out personally and in the field by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health, who He personally supervised, for three consecutive days from within the city, the efforts made to deal with the incident in terms of providing medicines, medical supplies, and all other needs,” according to the Iraqi News Agency.
The following are the highlights of the Iraqi Ministry of Health’s statement regarding the video recording of former MP Saliwa:
• The former representative was not seen in any health institution at that time, and no moral or material effort was made by him to contribute to dealing with the incident. There was no shortage of medicines and medical supplies or the presence of medical and health personnel. All of these facts were officially and accurately documented and in numbers, and everyone praised them. Those concerned with the efforts of the Ministry of Health, including the World Health Organization, and an official published statement.
• Such false claims that exploit the feelings of citizens, especially the families of the victims and the injured, fall within electoral propaganda and political campaigns for personal purposes and aim to mislead public opinion, create injustice, and diminish the efforts of the staff of the Ministry of Health from Nineveh Governorate, the other governorates, and the Kurdistan Region, who did not delay in providing everything necessary.
• We affirm the continuation of efforts and careful follow-up of the cases of all infected people, their treatment and rehabilitation inside and outside Iraq, under the supervision and continuous follow-up by the Minister of Health personally.
• The Ministry reserves the full legal right to prosecute anyone who works to publish inaccurate and inflammatory information aimed at misleading public opinion.
On Sunday, the investigation committee into the Hamdaniya fire accident announced the results of the investigation into the accident, and while it showed that it was caused by a fire source that came into contact with highly flammable materials, it confirmed that the accident was accidental.
The head of the committee, Major General Saad Faleh Kassar Al-Dulaimi, said in a press conference, “Al-Haytham Hall, where the wedding took place in Al-Hamdaniya district, can accommodate only 500 people, as about 600 people were evacuated from inside the hall,” noting that “the rapid collapse of the building contributed to obstructing rescue operations.”
He pointed out, “The unfortunate fire accident led to the death of 107 people and 82 injuries.”
For its part, the office of Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani announced, on Monday, the transfer of the third batch of those injured in the Hamdaniya accident to receive treatment abroad.
The Sudanese media office stated in a statement, “In implementation of the directives of the Prime Minister, on Monday evening, the third group of citizens who were injured as a result of the painful fire accident, which occurred in the Hamdaniya district (Baghdida), was transferred for treatment outside Iraq, amounting to (8) injured people.” From the governorates of Nineveh, Dohuk, and Erbil with their companions, accompanied by a specialized medical team, bringing the total number to (20) infected people, who were transferred to receive treatment outside the country.
2023-10-02 21:29:52
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