Key facts
- A fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad killed 14 newborns last month.
- The neonatal unit lacked fire alarms and sprinklers.
- Firefighters reported that escape routes were locked or obstructed.
- The fire likely started from an overheating electrical supply cable in the air conditioner.
- Staff had not been trained on evacuation procedures or how to isolate oxygen supplies in emergencies.
- Eight officials have been suspended and criminal proceedings initiated against them.
An official inquiry into a fire that killed 14 newborns at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital in Islamabad last month has found that the neonatal unit lacked essential safety features, including fire alarms and sprinklers. Firefighters reported that escape routes were "locked or obstructed," making entry and rescue efforts difficult. The report, headed by a retired senior civil servant, identified "systemic and institutional failure" as the cause of the catastrophe, which began with an electrical spark.
One firefighter anonymously told the BBC that rescue workers had to break through windows to enter the facility, and that doors leading to the ward were locked. He described the scene inside as difficult to comprehend, with melted medical equipment collapsed onto the babies.
Witnesses described chaos and confusion. Abdul Ghafoor, who was in a nearby ward, heard warnings of a fire and went to help, but found the ward filled with smoke. CCTV footage showed a nurse running for help and returning with a security guard, followed by another nurse who rescued one baby. Within a minute, dense smoke obscured the camera. Hivsa Walid, in an adjacent ward, also saw smoke and focused on escaping.
The report suggests the fire originated from an overheating electrical supply cable in the air conditioner, though the exact defect remains unclear. While oxygen support for some babies may have intensified the fire, there is no evidence it created a pathway for its spread. The report noted that air conditioning units had been approved for replacement eight years prior but had not been upgraded.
Staff had not been trained on evacuation procedures for newborns, many of whom were premature or medically fragile, nor on how to isolate oxygen supplies during emergencies. The report also highlighted that emergency services were not notified until nearly 20 minutes after the fire began. The hospital's executive director had previously stated the ward door was guarded, not locked, due to baby abduction incidents. However, the report concluded that security restrictions cannot render emergency routes inaccessible.
Furthermore, the hospital had received prior warnings about fire risks, including a fire at its nursing hostel a month before the neonatal unit incident. The report assigns principal institutional responsibility to the hospital and its senior management for failing to implement an effective safety system despite known risks and prior warnings. In response, Pakistan's prime minister has directed the implementation of short-term safety measures within three months, ordered fire safety audits of public and private buildings, suspended eight officials, and initiated criminal proceedings against them.