Pakistan Suspends Eight Officials Following Hospital Fire That Tragically Claimed 14 Newborn Lives

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the suspension of eight officials and directed that criminal proceedings be initiated against those found responsible for a devastating fire that killed 14 newborns at an Islamabad hospital, his office announced on Saturday.

The orders came after an investigative committee, led by retired senior civil servant Shahid Khan, presented its interim report regarding the blaze that occurred Wednesday at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). The fire started in a third-floor nursery and spread so rapidly that staff could only rescue one baby out of the 15 infants receiving care there.

According to the statement, the inquiry revealed that the nursery lacked both a fire alarm and a sprinkler system, while the hospital also failed to establish detailed procedures and training for handling fires and other emergencies.

The tragedy has generated intense public outrage, with grieving families and civil society groups demanding accountability. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that those guilty of criminal negligence deserve no leniency and ordered both departmental and criminal proceedings against the identified individuals.

The suspended personnel include the hospital's executive director, two joint executive directors, the head of the neonatal department, two other doctors, the assistant director for security, and the head of the Capital Development Authority's emergency services. Additionally, action was approved against the company contracted for hospital security and its officials.

The government previously announced compensation of 5 million rupees, equivalent to about $18,000, for each bereaved family. The interim inquiry also noted that supervisory staff were absent from duty when the fire broke out, leaving only two nurses, a female security guard, and a house officer in the ward. Emergency services were not contacted until six minutes after the fire began, and the initial responders arrived 15 minutes post-call.

Investigators discovered that out of 13 standard operating procedures, only two subsections addressed fires or emergencies. During Saturday's meeting, a brief surveillance video of the nursery fire was shown, though it was not immediately released to the public.

The interim report highlighted a nurse who risked her life to save an infant before the flames consumed the ward. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a recommendation to award her the Sitara-i-Khidmat for public service.

In response to the tragedy, broader reviews of fire-safety protocols have been initiated at hospitals across Pakistan. The government in Punjab ordered an immediate inspection of fire-safety systems, equipment, and emergency response capabilities at hospitals. Previously, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dismissed Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the highest-ranking civil servant in the Health Ministry, in the wake of the disaster.