Several hospital directors in Iraq have resigned after a massive fire broke out in a Covid-19 unit of a hospital in Nasiriyah city last Monday.

At least five hospitals in the province have seen their directors and deputies be discharged, except for establishments run by less qualified staff, according to Saad al-Majid, director general of health authorities.

These departures, he said, are motivated by the fear of being held accountable in the event of another disaster, as fires multiply in dilapidated hospitals in Iraq.

Last Monday, at least 60 people were killed in a massive fire that destroyed a prefabricated building at the Al-Hussein Hospital for Nasiriyah housing COVID patients. Three officials, including the director of the establishment, were arrested and another 10 arrest warrants were issued by the courts.

In April, a similar tragedy devastated the COVID unit of a hospital in Baghdad, killing more than 80 people.