The story: Iraq has announced three days of national mourning after the deaths of scores of people in a major fire at a hospital in Baghdad. The tragedy has prompted Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to suspend a number of top officials, including the country’s health minister. Kadhimi has also launched a probe into the blaze, putting Iraq’s corruption-plagued health sector under the microscope yet again.

The coverage: On Apr. 25, Iraq’s interior ministry announced that at least 82 people were killed and 110 injured in the tragic event. Less than an hour later, Ahad TV reported that the death toll “reached 94 and is still on the rise.” The channel, linked to the armed group Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq (AAH), cited unnamed sources.

On the same day, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s health and environment committee, Wafaa Al-Shemmari, made a shocking revelation on the state-run Iraqiya TV. Shemmari remarked that the fire systems at the Ibn Al-Khatib hospital, where the fire broke out, “have been out of order since 2015.”

Meanwhile, Iraq’s National News Agency (INA), reported that the cabinet suspended “Health Minister [Hassan Al-Tamimi], Baghdad’s Governor [Mohammad Al-Ata] and head of the Rusafa health department [Abdul-Ghani Al-Saeedi].” According to INA, the officials will be investigated along with the director and other key hospital staff.

INA also reported that Kadhimi assigned Interior Minister Othman Al-Ghanemi to lead a “five-day probe” into the blaze, and ordered that 10M IQD (6,879 USD) be paid to each of the victims' families.

Meanwhile, Iraqis took to Twitter to express their anger. The most widely circulated hashtags included “sack the health minister” and “Ibn Al-Khatib massacre.”

Iraqi analyst Zeidon Al-Kinani tweeted on Apr. 26 that the incident exposed the “poor health services & COVID-19 management, the [ministry of health] rampant corruption, absent governmental responsibility and… lack of accountability.”

Iraqi journalist Ahmad Abdulsada commented that the suspension of officials is not commensurate “with the level of the tragedy,” adding that “the entire government must be removed.”

Political activist Abdullah Koder remarked on Apr. 25, “Iraqis are merely numbers to their government.”

The context/analysis: In the aftermath of the blaze, politics quickly came into play. Influential Shiite politician and cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr took to Twitter to distance himself from the now-suspended health minister, an affiliate of the Sadrist Movement that bears his name. Sadr’s rivals slammed his statement as an “evasion of responsibility.”

Hinting that the fire may have been an act of arson, Sadr expressed “fear” that similar events may occur ahead of Iraq’s October parliamentary elections.

Though the investigation is still ongoing, preliminary reports suggest that the Ibn Al-Khatib hospital fire was sparked by an explosion of poorly-stored oxygen tanks.

While officials at the interior ministry have ruled out any “criminal suspicions” in the incident, they did suggest “flaws in safety measures and fire systems” as an explanation for why the situation got out of hand.

Lawmakers also believe that crowdedness at Ibn Al-Khatib hospital, which has become wholly dedicated to Covid-19 patients during the pandemic, contributed to the shocking death toll. Although the number of new Covid-19 cases in Iraq this week has reportedly reached one million, only 650,000 Iraqis—out of a population of 40 million—have received their first jab of the vaccine.

For decades, Iraq’s healthcare system has been weighed down by sanctions, war, and the emigration of medical workers. A study conducted last year also found that corruption, misguided government spending, and centralization of medical facilities have all played significant roles in weakening the health sector.

The future: An overhaul of the country’s healthcare system is highly unlikely at this point. However, more attempts by Kadhimi to ease public anger and fight corruption in the health sector are anticipated. The anti-corruption commission, established by the prime minister last summer, may see its activities stepped up.

Kadhimi has tended to respond to tragedy by pressing ahead with major changes in government institutions. This aims to solidify his image as a strongman who will strike corruption with an iron fist. It also has the effect of loosening his rivals’ grip over government entities.

The Iraqi premier’s response to the blaze, among other similar incidents, will likely have an effect on his electoral chances in October—even though he has insisted that he won’t run. While the prime minister enjoys strong ties with international and regional players, he may face a formidable opponent in Sadr. The Shiite cleric has not shied down from expressing that his movement, which currently holds the most seats in parliament, is indeed eyeing the Iraqi premiership.