ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the immediate suspension and initiation of criminal proceedings against eight people named in the interim inquiry into the deadly fire at the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister to review the PIMS fire incident, where the inquiry committee presented its interim report.
Fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of PIMS on Wednesday morning. According to PIMS officials, 15 newborns were present in the nursery at the time, with only one infant rescued.
Prime Minister Shehbaz directed that all eight people identified by the inquiry committee be suspended immediately and that action against them be initiated without delay.
He ordered that those found responsible should face both departmental and criminal proceedings under the relevant laws, stressing that action must be taken without discrimination.
Those named in the inquiry include PIMS Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar, Joint Executive Directors Dr Mutahir Shah and Chaudhry Dr Waris Ali Raza, Head of the Neonatal Department Professor Dr Sadia Riaz, Senior Registrar Dr Naghma, Dr Nosheela Amjad, PIMS Assistant Director Security Muhammad Usman and CDA Emergency Services Director General Dr Abdul Rehman.
The prime minister also approved action against the security company deployed at the hospital and its officials. He directed that officials removed from their posts be replaced immediately and in one go.
Dr Muhammad Salman, CEO of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was directed to take charge as acting executive director of PIMS.
The interim inquiry report highlighted serious deficiencies in the hospital’s emergency preparedness and fire-safety arrangements. A CCTV recording of the incident, lasting approximately two minutes, was also shown during the meeting.
According to the inquiry, PIMS had no detailed standard operating procedures or specialised training covering fire and other emergency situations. Of the hospital’s 13 SOPs, only two subsections contained references to fire or emergency situations.
The briefing further revealed that supervisory staff were not present on duty when the fire broke out. At the time, two nurses, a female security guard and a house officer were present in the ward.
The fire reportedly spread through the entire ward within around two minutes. One nurse risked her life and rescued a baby before the flames engulfed the ward.
The meeting was informed that emergency services were called six minutes after the fire started, while the first emergency response reached the scene 15 minutes after the call.
The inquiry also found that PIMS had no dedicated officer responsible for dealing with emergencies such as fires, with an assistant director assigned the responsibility as an additional duty.
The prime minister was briefed about the hospital’s dilapidated condition and administrative mismanagement. The inquiry noted that a fire had also broken out at the PIMS nursing hostel in July, around a month before the latest tragedy, but adequate measures were not taken to improve safety.
The neonatal ward had neither a fire alarm nor a sprinkler system, the meeting was told.
The inquiry further found violations of relevant World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines concerning neonatal wards.
Nurse to receive Sitara-e-Khidmat
Prime Minister Shehbaz 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 the female security guard present in the ward be made officers on special duty (OSD) and ordered further investigations into the incident.
The prime minister said there would be no concession for anyone found guilty of criminal negligence and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
Describing the deaths of the newborns as a deeply tragic incident, Shehbaz said the entire nation was grieving with the bereaved families and expressed sympathy to the parents who lost their children.
He said exemplary punishment would be ensured for those responsible so that no mother would again be separated from her child because of criminal negligence.
