ISLAMABAD: At least 14 newborns were killed after a fire erupted in the nursery of Pakistan’s largest public-sector hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday, prompting a high-level government investigation and the suspension of the federal health secretary.
The fire broke out around dawn in the nursery of the Maternal and Child Healthcare Ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), with officials saying the blaze was confined to the nursery on the third floor and did not affect the rest of the hospital.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an emergency meeting on the incident, expressed strong displeasure over the deaths and ordered the strictest action against those found responsible, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, PM Sharif suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri and directed him to leave the meeting.
He also ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident.
Former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan was appointed to head the inquiry committee, which began investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire, the PMO said.
The deaths sent shock waves across Pakistan, with grieving parents and relatives gathering outside the hospital as police and security personnel were deployed around the facility.
What happened at PIMS
Initial accounts from officials differed on the precise cause of the fire.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal told private broadcaster Geo TV that the blaze had followed a blast in an air-conditioning unit in the nursery and said the presence of large amounts of oxygen in the ward had helped the fire spread.
An earlier Capital Development Authority (CDA) fire incident report, however, listed an electrical short circuit or plug overload as the probable cause.
The CDA report also raised questions about the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements.
It said fire and life-safety measures were inadequate and that emergency exits and escape routes had been found permanently locked from outside or obstructed.
The report further said hospital security staff had hindered the initial response of the fire crew and that crowd management at the scene had been inadequate.
State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry said rescue teams had reached the hospital within six minutes of receiving the emergency call and had broken windows to reach people inside the nursery.
He said seven children had been rescued.
Chaudry also said investigators would examine surveillance footage, equipment at the scene, and witness accounts to establish what had happened, including why emergency doors had been locked.
He said investigators would also determine how many doctors and nurses had been present and how quickly hospital staff had responded.
'I have lost my child’
The tragedy left families devastated outside the hospital.
Javeria, whose newborn had been among those killed, said she had been at the hospital when the fire erupted.
“It was a gynecology ward ... there was no doctor, no nurse,” she said, adding that the bodies of the children had been taken away “in boxes” and said she was not able to see her child.
“It is not God’s will ... I don’t accept it,” she said.
Another woman, who identified herself as Sami, said she had given birth three days earlier and her baby had been receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire broke out.
“I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears. “I have lost my child.”
Hospital officials said firefighters had quickly extinguished the blaze and rescue teams had begun cooling operations at the site.
Dr Aneeza Jalil, a hospital spokesperson, said one baby had been rescued by a doctor. She also said six bodies had initially been handed over to families, with the remaining bodies to be released after necessary procedures.
The state minister, Chaudry, later said the victims’ bodies had been handed over following DNA testing.
Investigation into safety failures
The Islamabad district administration had earlier formed a multi-agency fact-finding committee and directed it to submit a report within 24 hours.
The committee had been tasked with determining the cause of the fire and how it had spread, assessing whether adequate fire-safety measures had been in place and examining the emergency response.
The federal investigation was expected to examine many of the same questions, including the condition of emergency exits, the hospital staff’s response and the circumstances surrounding the fire.
PM Sharif expressed condolences to the parents of the newborns, saying he shared their grief and praying that Allah would grant the bereaved families patience and strength.
President Asif Ali Zardari also described the deaths as an “extremely heartbreaking and irreparable loss” and called for those responsible to be identified and proceeded against according to law.
He stressed the need for effective fire-safety and emergency arrangements in hospitals, particularly to protect newborns and other vulnerable patients.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed grief over the deaths.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who had been on a four-day visit to the UK, said in a post on X that he was “deeply saddened and heartbroken” by the tragedy.
Dar said the investigation ordered by the prime minister would establish the causes of the incident and ensure those responsible faced the “strictest action.”
“The safety of our children must remain paramount,” he said.