ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended Pakistan’s federal health secretary on Wednesday and ordered a “high-level” investigation after a fire killed 14 newborn babies in the nursery of a major state-run hospital in Islamabad.
The blaze erupted on the third floor of the maternal and child health ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), one of the capital’s largest public hospitals. One newborn was rescued, while PIMS Executive Director Imran Sikandar told Arab News the fire was caused by an “electric short circuit.”
The deaths come months after Islamabad authorities identified widespread shortcomings in fire-safety compliance across the capital. A survey of 6,500 public and private buildings, including 300 government facilities, found most had not obtained approval for fire-safety plans or been issued completion and fire-safety certificates, according to the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
“14 babies passed away. One was rescued,” PIMS spokesperson Dr. Aneza Jalil told Arab News, adding that all the bodies had been handed over to their families.
Sharif chaired an emergency meeting over the fire on Wednesday afternoon and ordered Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori suspended and removed from his post, the PM’s office said. Sharif asked the official to leave the meeting after ordering his suspension.
Sharif also constituted a high-level inquiry committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan, which the PMO said had begun investigating the incident. Establishment Secretary Dr. Barrister Noel Awan was among the other members of the committee.
The Islamabad administration said six fire engines and four ambulances took part in the emergency response.
Separately, the Islamabad district magistrate constituted a fact-finding committee tasked with determining the exact cause of the fire, assessing whether adequate and functional fire-safety measures were in place and evaluating the response time and effectiveness of rescue and firefighting operations.
The district committee was ordered to submit its report within 24 hours.
Islamabad has dedicated fire-prevention regulations, while health care facilities are required under regulatory standards to maintain fire-safety plans covering prevention, detection, suppression and safe evacuation.
