ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister has announced Rs5 million ($18,012) each for the families of 14 newborns killed in a fire at a major public hospital in Islamabad this week, a federal minister said on Friday.
The fire broke out at 6:38 a.m. on Wednesday in a third-floor nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), according to the hospital. Fourteen newborns died, while one baby was rescued from the nursery and four from an adjacent room.
The compensation announcement comes as multiple government investigations examine the cause of Wednesday’s fire as well as fire-safety measures, staffing and the emergency response.
A fire incident report prepared by Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) and seen by Arab News said emergency exits or escape routes were locked or obstructed and described fire and life-safety arrangements as inadequate. PIMS has disputed the finding on exits, saying they were open and operational.
“The prime minister has announced that all affected families be given Rs5 million ($18,012),” Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told reporters outside PIMS on Friday.
He said compensation cheques had been made out in the names of the mothers of the newborns, describing the payments as a “small effort” by the government to ease the pain and suffering of grieving families.
He said the newborns had been identified through name tags fastened to their arms after birth, adding that an inquiry committee established by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was expected to present its report on Friday and promised action against anyone found responsible.
“Those individuals on duty who are found guilty of negligence, you will see them being given exemplary punishments,” Chaudhry said.
FIRE INVESTIGATION
The precise cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal initially linked it to an electrical spark from an air conditioner, but a parliamentary health committee later questioned that account, saying the unit identified as a possible source was not operating.
The CDA fire report listed an “electric short circuit / plug overload” as the probable cause and said emergency exits were locked or obstructed, safety arrangements were inadequate and hospital security hindered the initial response. PIMS has said all emergency exits were open and operational.
The report also records the first emergency call at 6:54 a.m., 16 minutes after PIMS says the fire began, with first responders arriving at 7:01 a.m. It does not explain the interval.
The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of fire safety in the Pakistani capital, where a 2026 CDA survey of 6,500 public and private buildings found most lacked approved fire-safety plans or required completion and fire-safety certificates.
