PIMS fire probe widens as NA committee seeks details of safety lapses

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Thursday announced to independently investigate the fire at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) that claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies, saying conflicting accounts about the blaze had raised serious questions over its cause, fire safety arrangements and the emergency response.

The committee visited the PIMS, a day after the deadly fire erupted in the hospital’s Mother and Child Hospital ward.

Committee Chairman Mahesh Kumar Malani said that the panel would not rely solely on the government inquiry and would examine the incident on merit, including information received from political leaders and other sources.

“We have to see whether the fire was the result of negligence or a natural cause. It appears that there may have been a technical fault,” Malani told reporters.

He said that the exact cause of the fire had not yet been established, with different accounts emerging from hospital staff.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had earlier attributed the incident to a spark in an air conditioner. However, Malani said the committee had received conflicting accounts about the alleged spark.

According to him, one doctor told the committee that a bundle of wires may have caused the spark, while nurses said the incident happened suddenly. He said that another account suggested an oxygen-related fault.

“No one saw where the spark came from,” Malani said, stressing that the committee could not yet conclusively determine how the fire started.

He said it was possible that the fault lay in the oxygen pipes or electrical wiring, particularly because oxygen was present at each incubator.

The hospital’s own initial account said the fire began with a spark inside the nursery at around 6:38am and spread within seconds because of oxygen points installed at the incubators.

However, Malani said the committee had been told that the old air conditioner had not been functioning for some time and that two portable units were being used in the ward.

He said the hospital’s executive director had also agreed that the spark had not originated from the air conditioner.

Questions over old nursery building

The committee also raised questions about the condition and suitability of the ward where the newborns were being treated.

Malani said the nursery had been established in a building in 1990 and questioned why newborns were being kept there when a newly constructed and better-equipped block was available on the PIMS premises.

“The nursery was not fit for the babies,” he said, adding that the area had originally been intended to function as a gynaecology ward.

Committee members also questioned whether adequate maintenance had been carried out in the nursery over the years.

Committee member Farakh Khan raised concerns about the continued presence of an old air conditioner and exposed wiring, asking why such hazards had not been addressed if regular maintenance had been carried out.

Malani said that the committee had sought details of the budget allocated for PIMS’ Mother and Child Health Care Centre, including how much of the allocated amount had actually been utilised.

The committee has also asked for records showing how frequently the hospital’s oxygen and electrical systems were inspected.

Fire drills, alarms and staff response under scrutiny

The committee is also examining whether the hospital had adequate fire safety and emergency response systems in place.

Committee member Gul Asghar Khan said that PIMS had been asked about the frequency of fire drills and when the last drill was conducted.

The panel also sought details of the hospital’s most recent fire safety audit and possible human errors that may have contributed to the tragedy.

PPP MNA Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro said that information had also been requested about the functionality of fire alarms at the hospital.

She pointed to what she described as conflicting statements from staff, saying these raised questions about whether personnel were present in the ward when the fire broke out.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl MNA Aliya Kamran went further, saying the committee’s interaction with nurses gave the impression that they may have been instructed on what to say.

She also questioned the account given by the doctor on duty and alleged that the infants had been left unattended when the fire erupted.

Kamran alleged there had been an attempt to establish that the blaze originated from the air conditioner and called for the health minister to resign.

Soomro also demanded that the PIMS executive director and health minister step down on moral grounds.

The committee, however, stressed that technical experts would have to be consulted before a definitive conclusion could be reached about the cause of the fire.

Government and parliamentary inquiries

The parliamentary committee’s investigation is separate from an inquiry already ordered by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The prime minister has constituted a committee headed by retired federal secretary Shahid Khan to investigate the incident.

The government inquiry committee will establish the causes of the fire and prepare a detailed timeline of the incident. It will also examine the emergency response of hospital staff, firefighters and rescue agencies and determine whether any individuals were negligent.

The committee has also been tasked with identifying those responsible for any lapses and recommending administrative reforms at PIMS to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Earlier, an eight-member inquiry committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner general had also been constituted.

Malani said the National Assembly committee would examine the findings of the separate government inquiry once they became available but would conduct its own assessment rather than simply endorsing another body’s conclusions.

“We are calling a committee meeting and will look at the issue on the grounds of merit,” he said.

Health secretary sets up complaint camp

Meanwhile, newly appointed Health Secretary Mahmood Rai has set up a tent outside PIMS to provide a facility for citizens to sit and register complaints.

According to the information provided, Rai will personally sit at the camp on a daily basis to review administrative matters and facilities at the hospital and hear complaints from members of the public.

Political pressure mounts

The tragedy has also reached the National Assembly, with lawmakers demanding an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the deaths.

PPP Vice President and Senator Sherry Rehman has submitted an adjournment motion in the House, describing the deaths of 14 newborns at the capital’s major government hospital as a matter of urgent public importance.

She called for normal proceedings of the National Assembly to be suspended to allow a detailed debate on the incident and demanded that the facts be presented before parliament after a complete investigation.

Rehman also questioned the state of safety arrangements at PIMS, saying the apparent failure of safety procedures at a major government hospital was unacceptable and required serious scrutiny.

Separately, MNA Dr Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto submitted a calling-attention notice over the fire, describing it as a serious and deeply concerning incident.

She said the deaths of the newborns had raised questions about safety arrangements, administrative negligence and emergency response mechanisms in hospitals.

Bhutto called for an immediate debate in the National Assembly to establish the facts, determine responsibility and ensure effective measures to prevent such incidents in the future.