ISLAMABAD — Even as rescue sources point to serious safety lapses and a multi-agency inquiry committee investigates the nursery fire that killed 14 newborns at PIMS Hospital, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has defended the hospital’s arrangements, saying all facilities for patients were in excellent condition.
Speaking in Karachi, Kamal said he was not in Islamabad at the time but was in constant contact with the PIMS Executive Director. He said the fire broke out at 7:47 a.m. in the Mother and Child Health (MCH) nursery following an explosion in an air-conditioning unit and spread very rapidly. The hospital also lost power at the time of the blaze, he said.
The minister said doctors and staff were present in the ICU when the fire broke out and moved to call rescue services, but the fire spread too quickly to contain. He maintained that the hospital’s firefighting equipment was functioning and noted that PIMS is operating beyond its capacity.
Contradicting Accounts
Kamal’s assurances stand in contrast to accounts from rescue sources, who have described the hospital’s fire safety arrangements as extremely inadequate — citing fire hoses without couplings, no water at the designated fire point, locked emergency evacuation routes, and no doctors, ward boys or other staff present in the incubation center when the fire broke out.
The Islamabad district administration has separately formed an eight-member inquiry committee, headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), to investigate the fire and determine responsibility. The committee has been directed to submit its findings within 24 hours.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also summoned an emergency meeting of relevant officials and institution heads to determine accountability for the tragedy, which he described as an “irreparable loss.”
The minister’s remarks are likely to draw further scrutiny as the investigation proceeds, given the gap between his characterization of the hospital’s readiness and the lapses reported from the scene.
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