PIMS Hospital Nursery Fire Report Finds Administrative Failures, Praises Staff Response

Fire Breaks Out in PIMS Hospital Nursery: Inquiry Report Reveals Administrative Negligence and Courageous Response by Staff

Shiite News: The final inquiry report into the fire that broke out in the nursery of Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital has been released. The detailed 52-point report examined the causes of the fire, the response of hospital staff and institutional shortcomings through forensic evidence, CCTV footage, call records and witness statements.

The inquiry report strongly rejected the perception and general allegation that frontline medical staff had abandoned the newborn babies at the time of the fire.

The report highlighted serious negligence on the part of the hospital administration and made the following key findings:

• Primary cause of the fire: According to technical evidence from the National Forensic Agency, the fire originated from an electrical cable of AC Unit No. 2, located near AC Unit No. 1. The fire was caused by a localized electrical fault, excess current or damaged cable insulation. No evidence of arson or an incubator-related fire was found.
• Courageous response by staff: CCTV footage shows that after the fire broke out at 6:38 a.m., Charge Nurse Nasreen Akhtar, Security Guard Maria Saleem, Staff Nurse Raziya Noreen and Dr. Muhammad Abdur Rahman immediately took action despite putting their lives at risk. Nurse Raziya Noreen safely rescued one newborn and attempted to re-enter the nursery.
• Lack of emergency safety systems: The sensitive nursery area had no automatic smoke alarm, sprinkler system or proper standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the emergency evacuation of newborn babies.
• Overcrowding and shortage of staff: Fifteen critically ill newborns were being treated in a 10-bed unit, most of them dependent on oxygen. At the time, only two doctors and two nurses were on duty.
• Unacceptable delay in seeking outside assistance: The fire broke out at 6:38 a.m., but external emergency agencies were notified at 6:54 a.m. and arrived at the scene at 7:01 a.m. The report said the delay reflected a complete failure of the emergency command system at PIMS.

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The report clarified that the functioning of medical equipment does not necessarily mean that its electrical installations were also safe. The presence of combustible materials and an oxygen-rich environment further intensified the fire, turning the incident into a major disaster.