Pims nursery fire: Inquiry report reveals treatment, facilities fall ‘below global standards’

• Action recommended against those responsible for fire: sources.
• Inquiry report flags “inadequate facilities and treatment” at Pims.
• Fire brigade and rescue personnel statements included in report.
  

ISLAMABAD: The initial inquiry report into the deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) nursery said the hospital’s treatment and facilities fell below global standards, sources said on Saturday.

The report, submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also identified the causes of the incident and determined those responsible for the tragedy, they added.

The findings came three days after 14 infants died when a fire broke out at around 6:45am in the NICU on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health ward at Pims. The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time, with only one infant rescued.

The decision to make the inquiry report public rested with the prime minister, according to the sources.

Former interior secretary Shahid Khan, who headed the high-level inquiry committee constituted on the prime minister’s directive, submitted the report late on Friday night to the office of PM’s Adviser Tauqir Hussain Shah.

Shah subsequently forwarded it to PM Shehbaz and briefed him on its key findings and recommendations, the sources added.

The report recommended immediate action against those held responsible for the incident, along with disciplinary proceedings against relevant Pims staff members who were absent when the fire broke out.

The committee also documented difficulties faced by rescue teams during the emergency response and included statements from fire brigade and rescue personnel. Furthermore, interviews with Pims administration officials and doctors also formed part of the report.

It observed that “nothing was according to international standards” at Pims, while highlighting deficiencies in treatment and available facilities, according to the sources.

The committee also made recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future and improve emergency preparedness and response mechanisms at the hospital.

The report bore the signatures of all members of the inquiry committee, the sources said.

The committee comprised Shahid Khan as chairman, Major General (retd) Dr Khurshid Utra, Dr Barrister Nabeel Ahmed Awan and the Islamabad deputy commissioner.