Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the immediate suspension and criminal proceedings against eight officials named in the interim inquiry into the deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
The tragedy claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies after a fire broke out in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on Wednesday morning.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister, where officials presented the interim findings of the inquiry committee.
According to PIMS officials, 15 newborns were present in the nursery when the fire broke out. Only one baby was rescued.
Eight Officials Face Departmental and Criminal Action
The prime minister directed that all eight people identified in the interim inquiry be suspended immediately.
He further ordered that those found responsible should face both departmental and criminal proceedings under the relevant laws.
The officials named in the inquiry include:
- PIMS Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar
- Joint Executive Director Dr Mutahir Shah
- Joint Executive Director Chaudhry Dr Owais Ali Shah
- Head of Neonatal Department Professor Dr Sadia Riaz
- Senior Registrar Dr Naghma
- Dr Nosheela Amjad
- PIMS Assistant Director Security Muhammad Usman
- CDA Emergency Services Director General Dr Abdul Rehman
The prime minister instructed authorities to take action without discrimination and ensure that officials responsible for negligence face legal consequences.
Action has also been approved against the private security company deployed at PIMS and its relevant officials.
The government has ordered the immediate replacement of officials removed from their positions.
Dr Muhammad Salman, Chief Executive Officer of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been directed to take charge as acting Executive Director of PIMS.
Inquiry Finds Major Fire Safety and Emergency Failures
The interim inquiry report presented to the prime minister identified serious weaknesses in PIMS’s emergency preparedness and fire-safety arrangements.
Officials also presented approximately two minutes of CCTV footage showing the incident.
The inquiry found that PIMS did not have detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) or adequate training specifically designed for fires and other emergencies.
Of the hospital’s 13 SOPs, only two subsections reportedly contained references to fire or emergency situations.
The inquiry also found that supervisory staff were not present in the ward when the fire started.
At the time, the ward reportedly had two nurses, a female security guard and a house officer present.
According to the briefing, the fire spread through the ward within approximately two minutes.
One nurse reportedly risked her life to rescue a newborn before the flames engulfed the area.
The report said emergency services were contacted six minutes after the fire began, while the first emergency response reportedly arrived around 15 minutes after the call.
PIMS Had No Dedicated Emergency Officer
The inquiry further revealed that PIMS did not have a dedicated officer responsible for handling emergencies such as fires.
Instead, the responsibility had reportedly been assigned as an additional duty to an assistant director.
The prime minister was also briefed about the hospital’s deteriorating physical condition and administrative problems.
Officials informed the meeting that a fire had also occurred at the PIMS nursing hostel in July, approximately one month before the neonatal ward tragedy.
Despite that earlier incident, significant measures to improve fire safety were reportedly not implemented.
The inquiry found that the neonatal ward had neither a fire alarm nor a sprinkler system, raising serious questions about the hospital’s preparedness to protect highly vulnerable newborns.
The briefing further stated that the neonatal unit had violated relevant World Health Organization (WHO) standards concerning neonatal ward safety.
Nurse to Receive Sitara-e-Khidmat
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also approved the conferment of Sitara-e-Khidmat on the nurse who risked her life to rescue a newborn during the fire.
He directed that another nurse and a female security guard who were present in the ward be placed as officers on special duty (OSD) while further investigation continues.
The prime minister said there would be no concession for anyone found guilty of criminal negligence.
“Those responsible for this incident will be brought to justice,” he said.
He described the deaths of the newborns as a deeply tragic incident and said the entire nation shared the grief of the affected families.
The prime minister expressed sympathy with the parents who lost their children and stressed that exemplary punishment should be ensured for those responsible.
He said no mother should again be separated from her child because of criminal negligence or failures in hospital safety arrangements.
