Hospital Fires Outrage Iraqis, but They See Little Hope for Change

NASIRIYA, Iraq — The provincial civil defense chief, Brig. Gen. Salah Jabar, had warned for months about the problems in local hospitals before a fire in a coronavirus ward in this southern city killed at least 60 people this week. He flagged the flammable construction materials, a lack of fire detectors and improperly stored oxygen canisters.

But his repeated warnings to the regional health ministry were ignored, he said. Then he heard from his mother.

A week ago, she was being treated for Covid-19 in the same hospital hit by the lethal…