Eight Officials Suspended Following Devastating Hospital Fire in Pakistan

POLICY WIRE — Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has suspended eight officials and initiated criminal proceedings against those responsible for a fire that claimed the lives of 14 newborns at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.

The decision followed an interim report from an investigative committee led by retired senior civil servant Shahid Khan, which was presented to Sharif. The fire, which occurred on Wednesday, was confined to a third-floor nursery but spread rapidly, allowing staff to rescue only one of the 15 babies in the unit.

The inquiry revealed critical safety deficiencies, including the absence of a fire alarm or sprinkler system in the nursery and inadequate emergency response procedures and training at the hospital.

Public outrage has grown, with grieving families and civil society groups demanding accountability. Sharif emphasized that those guilty of criminal negligence should face severe consequences.

The suspended officials include the hospital’s executive director, two joint executive directors, the head of the neonatal department, two other doctors, the hospital’s assistant director for security, and the head of the Capital Development Authority’s emergency services. Action has also been approved against a company responsible for hospital security and its officials.

The government has announced compensation of 5 million rupees (approximately $18,000) for each affected family. The interim report highlighted that supervisory staff were not on duty when the fire started, and emergency services were not called until six minutes after the incident began.

Investigators found that only two subsections of the hospital’s 13 standard operating procedures addressed fires or other emergencies. Surveillance footage showed a nurse risking her life to save a baby before the flames spread, leading to a recommendation for her to receive a state award for public service.

The tragedy has prompted broader reviews of fire-safety measures at hospitals across Pakistan. The government in Punjab, the country’s most populous province, has ordered an immediate review of fire-safety systems, firefighting equipment, and emergency-response facilities at hospitals.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)