Islamabad, Pakistan, 26 August (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Fourteen infants have died after a PIMS hospital fire swept through a nursery in the Mother and Child Health facility at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, prompting an investigation and demands for accountability.
Fire spreads rapidly through hospital nursery
The blaze broke out early on Wednesday on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health facility. PIMS said a preliminary assessment indicated that a spark occurred inside the nursery at about 6.38am before the fire spread rapidly in an area where oxygen was being supplied to incubators.
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said CCTV footage appeared to show a spark from an air-conditioning unit, followed by a fireball. He said the room was engulfed by flames within about a minute and that oxygen being supplied to infants appeared to have intensified the blaze.
PIMS spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil said 15 babies had been inside the affected nursery. One was rescued by a doctor. The confirmed death toll was later put at 14 infants.
Rescue operation clears surrounding wards
The Islamabad administration said six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances were deployed to the scene. Firefighters brought the blaze under control while hospital patients were moved from nearby areas.
PIMS said staff rescued four babies from an adjacent room and three mothers, while another 73 patients admitted to the neighbouring gynaecology ward were evacuated. The hospital also said fire extinguishers installed at the facility were used during the emergency.
Witnesses, however, raised questions about the emergency response and access to exits. Some relatives alleged that doors were locked during the fire. PIMS disputed those claims, saying its emergency exits were “fully open and operational”.
Health minister promises accountability
The PIMS hospital fire has triggered an official investigation into its cause, the emergency response and whether negligence contributed to the deaths.
Kamal told reporters that “no one responsible for negligence, including me, will be spared”. He said different institutions and experts were involved in examining the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and pledged that the findings would be made public.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation following the deaths and suspended the federal health secretary as authorities began examining responsibility for the disaster.
Safety concerns come under scrutiny
The fire has focused attention on safety arrangements at one of Islamabad’s most important public hospitals. Kamal acknowledged that PIMS faces wider pressures, saying the facility receives more than 9,000 people despite having outpatient capacity designed for substantially fewer patients.
Questions are also expected to centre on electrical equipment, oxygen systems, fire prevention measures and evacuation procedures within areas caring for critically ill newborns.
Families seek answers after deadly blaze
For families affected by the PIMS hospital fire, the investigation will determine whether failures could have been prevented and who should be held responsible.
Parents who lost children publicly demanded justice and questioned the speed of the emergency response. Their accounts will form part of the wider scrutiny surrounding the incident, alongside hospital records, CCTV footage and evidence from emergency personnel.
Investigation to determine responsibility
Authorities are now expected to establish the precise cause of the initial spark, how the flames spread so quickly and whether hospital safety procedures were adequate.
The government has said those responsible for negligence will face action if wrongdoing is established. Until the investigation is completed, the precise sequence of failures and responsibility for the deaths remains under official examination.
