14 newborns killed at PIMS Hospital fire

ISLAMABAD: At least 14 newborn babies were killed when a fire broke out in the neonatal ward of the Mother and Child Hospital at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) early Wednesday morning, while one baby was rescued, according to hospital documents and officials.

The fire broke out at around 6:54am on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital, where 15 newborns were present, hospital authorities said. Rescue teams rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control, but 14 infants died in the incident.

According to the Islamabad administration, six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances participated in the rescue operation. The administration said the fire was brought under control and the affected children were shifted to the intensive care unit, but 14 infants had suffered fatal burns.

Pims spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil told Dawn that 15 babies were present in the ward and that at least one infant was saved by a doctor.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, speaking to HUM News, said the infants were either in incubators or receiving oxygen at the time of the incident. He said the fire appeared to have started after what he described as a blast in an air conditioner inside the ward. He said that all hospital team and doctors tend to the emergency. He said that the hospital administration is in contact with parents.

According to the minister, the blast triggered the fire, while the presence of oxygen tanks intensified the blaze. Law enforcement agencies were also present at the hospital following the incident.

Identities of deceased infants

Hospital documents released following the incident identified the deceased newborns and their parents.

The newborn baby of Javeria, whose father was identified as Samiullah, was among those killed. The newborn of Alia, whose father was identified as Rashid, also died.

The infant of Aneesa, whose father was identified as Abdullah, was killed in the fire. Asia Bibi had given birth to twins, and both babies died in the incident. Their father was identified as Bahadur.

The newborn of Shakeela, whose father was identified as Mohammad Tanveer, was also among the deceased. The infant of Sidra, whose father was identified as Imran, died as a result of the fire.

The newborn of Sumbul, whose father was identified as Usman, was also killed. The infant of Kiran Fatima, whose father was identified as Mohammad Saad-ur-Rehman, died in the blaze.

The newborn of Amina, whose father was identified as Khurram, and the newborn of Maria, whose father was identified as Qayyum, were also among those killed.

The infant of Khizra, whose father was identified as Mudassar, and the newborn of Hafsa, whose father was identified as Ishtiaq, also died.

The 14th deceased infant was the newborn of Aroosa Saeed, whose father was identified as Idrees Khan.

The infant who was rescued was identified as the child of Asifa, whose father was identified as Waqas.

Hospital sources said the bodies of five of the deceased infants had been handed over to their relatives.

Parents question hospital response

The tragedy prompted anger and questions from the bereaved families, who alleged that hospital staff were not present in the incubation centre when the fire broke out.

Some parents claimed they were simply informed that their babies had died and said they had not been shown the children’s clothes or other evidence that could establish how the infants died.

“We were only told that our children had died,” relatives alleged, questioning how the infants had suffered fatal burns and calling for a proper investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

One affected woman alleged that no doctor or other hospital staff member came to the ward for nearly an hour after the fire broke out.

She also questioned how such a major fire could occur without other people in the hospital suffering even minor injuries.

The allegations by the parents could not immediately be independently verified, while hospital authorities have yet to respond in detail to all the claims.

Malik Israr, whose niece was admitted to the gynaecology ward, told Dawn that it was particularly unfortunate that the nursery was located in a building where repair and renovation work was under way.

He said that after the fire erupted, patients were asked to leave the building, forcing women who had recently given birth to rush down the stairs from the second floor.

The incident has raised fresh questions about fire safety arrangements and emergency preparedness at major public hospitals, particularly in areas housing vulnerable newborns who require incubators, oxygen and round-the-clock medical supervision.

PIMS, established in 1985, is Islamabad’s largest public-sector hospital and one of the capital’s oldest major healthcare facilities. The hospital complex comprises several hospitals and teaching institutes.

Fires in large buildings are a recurring concern in Pakistan, with inadequate safety measures, weak enforcement of building codes and poor emergency preparedness frequently cited as contributing factors.

Meanwhile, parents have gathered outside the mortuary, where the bodies of the deceased infants are being handed over to their families, HUM News Farah Mahjabeen reported.

The PIMS administration has not yet spoken to the media. The district administration and police have also restricted media access, with journalists not being allowed to visit the ward where the fire broke out.

The hospital administration has yet to brief parents or the media on the latest arrangements. Media personnel and other people are currently barred from entering the affected ward.

The circumstances surrounding the PIMS fire, including its exact cause, the presence and response of medical staff, the condition of the ward and the adequacy of fire-safety arrangements, are expected to come under scrutiny following the deaths of the 14 newborns.