Investigators appointed by Pakistan's prime minister were visiting the hospital nursery where a fire killed 14 newborns on Thursday, as grieving families and the public sought answers about the blaze and safety protocols at the major government facility. The fire, which occurred early Wednesday, was confined to the third-floor nursery and did not affect other parts of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad.
Hospital officials stated that the fire spread so rapidly that staff were only able to rescue one infant from the 15 in the nursery. The scene at the hospital was somber Thursday, with access restricted to the affected area. Doctors, staff, patients, and relatives gathered to mourn the newborns.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed the investigating committee, led by retired federal secretary Shahid Khan. The committee is expected to gather statements from hospital staff, witnesses, and families. They are tasked with providing urgent recommendations to Sharif within 48 hours and a comprehensive report within five days. The city administration indicated that the committee will independently determine the cause of the fire.
Initial reports from hospital and district officials suggested an exploding air-conditioning unit as the cause. However, the hospital's preliminary report indicated a nebulizer blast sparked the fire, which then spread rapidly due to the high oxygen concentration in the nursery. Authorities have returned the bodies of the 14 newborns to their families.
The incident has prompted broader reviews of fire safety measures and equipment in hospitals across Pakistan. In Punjab, the country's most populous province, the Health Department was instructed to immediately review fire safety systems and emergency response facilities, according to a government statement.
Following the fire, Prime Minister Sharif dismissed Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the Health Ministry's highest-ranking civil servant. Grieving parents have called for explanations regarding the fire's origin and the nursery's firefighting capabilities.
The U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, expressed its sadness over the deaths and urged an immediate review and reinforcement of fire prevention and safety standards in health facilities. The fire is among recent tragic incidents in Pakistan involving children; in June, 14 schoolchildren died when the roof of an under-construction tutoring center collapsed in Lahore.