A deadly fire at nursery of Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) sparked outrage and raised serious questions over hospital safety after 14 newborn babies died, with grieving families alleging that staff were missing, emergency exits were blocked and firefighting equipment was unusable.
One mother, identified as Jamila Bibi recalled the terrifying moments, saying there was no doctor or nurse nearby and no one knew where the emergency exit was. Despite having undergone surgery herself, she said she was forced to flee the hospital carrying her baby.
Families of the victims alleged that when the fire erupted, nursing staff were nowhere to be seen, while firefighting equipment near the nursery was reportedly unavailable.
Questions have also been raised over the hospital’s fire hoses, with information emerging that couplings were missing, rendering the hoses unusable for firefighting.
PIMS’ internal firefighting system failed to initiate the response, leaving CDA fire tenders to arrive and begin firefighting operations from outside. PIMS spokesperson Dr Aneezah Jaleel confirmed that the bodies of all 14 deceased children had been handed over to their families, while only one baby was rescued from the nursery.
The tragedy also triggered furious allegations from parents who claimed they had to attempt rescues themselves because of delays in the arrival of emergency services.
One grieving mother alleged that no doctor or hospital staff member arrived for nearly an hour, questioning how such a major fire could occur without immediate intervention.
She further claimed that parents were not allowed to see even their children’s clothes and were simply informed that their babies had died.
CDA, however, has provided a different account of its response, stating that it received the fire emergency call at 6:54am, with firefighting personnel dispatched at 6:55am, just one minute later. Amid the growing outrage, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended the Federal Health Secretary with immediate effect and ordered an inquiry into the tragedy.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal maintained that firefighting equipment was available at PIMS and had responded promptly. However, he acknowledged that the hospital is operating far beyond its existing capacity.
