Pakistan Suspends Eight Officials Following Tragic Hospital Fire That Claimed the Lives of 14 Newborns

Human rights activists recently held a candlelight vigil to mourn the deaths of newborns killed in a hospital fire in Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the suspension of eight officials and directed criminal proceedings against them after the blaze claimed 14 babies in the neonatal ward of a government-run hospital in the capital.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued the directives following an interim report presented by an investigative committee regarding the fire at Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), according to an official statement released on Saturday.

The deadly blaze erupted shortly before 7am (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday inside the Mother and Child Healthcare Centre. The fire started in the nursery and spread rapidly through oxygen outlets connected to each incubator.

Although the fire remained confined to the third-floor nursery, officials reported that the flames spread with such speed that staff members could rescue only one baby out of the 15 receiving care there.

"The deaths of these innocent children are a heartbreaking tragedy that has left the entire nation grieving," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated, promising that those at fault would face "exemplary punishment".

The eight suspended officials, identified in a statement from the prime minister's office, include the hospital’s executive director, two joint executive directors, the head of the neonatal department, two senior doctors, a security official, and the head of the Capital Development Authority’s emergency services. Furthermore, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved action against the security company responsible for the hospital and its officials, while appointing the National Institutes of Health’s chief executive as the acting director of PIMS in the interim.

The interim inquiry revealed that the hospital lacked meaningful fire safety protocols, noting that only two of PIMS’s 13 standard operating procedures pertained to fire or emergencies. Investigators also found that supervisory staff were absent when the fire began, leaving only two nurses, a female security guard, and a house officer in the ward. Emergency services were not notified until six minutes after the fire started, and the first responders arrived 15 minutes post-call.

The investigative panel also highlighted that a separate fire had occurred at the hospital’s nursing hostel just a month prior without prompting any safety upgrades. During the recent incident, a nurse named Razia Noreen managed to pull one child to safety before flames overwhelmed the ward. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif honoured her with the Sitara-i-Khidmat state award for public service along with a cash reward of one million rupees (nearly $3,500).

Meanwhile, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal described Pakistan’s health system as "rotten" and expressed support for a parliamentary investigation. The government has also committed to providing five million rupees (about $17,700) in compensation to each affected family.