PIMS forms new four-member panel to probe hospital fire

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has reconstituted its four-member inquiry committee to investigate the fire that broke out in the Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) nursery that claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies.

According to a notification issued by PIMS administration, Professor Dr Atif Inam Shami has been appointed chairman of the reconstituted committee.

Deputy Executive Director of PIMS Dr Aneza Jaleel has also been made a member, along with Dr Altaf Hussain and Dr Sajjad Rafiq Abbasi.

The PIMS administration said that the committee was reconstituted because Professor Qasim Mahmood Butt, who was part of the earlier committee, is on leave.

The reconstituted committee has been directed to submit its report within 48 hours.

It will investigate the actual cause of the fire and review the fire safety arrangements in the nursery.

The committee will also assess the effectiveness of the rescue operation and the response time of the relevant teams.

According to the notification, the committee will identify those responsible for any lapses and recommend strict action against them.

The notification was issued under the signature of Dr Aneza Jaleel.

Sources said Dr Jaleel herself has recorded her statement before the inquiry committee constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to investigate the PIMS fire.

The reconstitution comes amid conflicting accounts about the cause of the blaze and growing scrutiny of fire safety arrangements, electrical and oxygen infrastructure and the emergency response at PIMS.

Earlier, the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination announced to independently investigate the fire at PIMS, 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.

New health secretary sets up PIMS tent office

Meanwhile, newly appointed Health Secretary Muhammad Mahmood Rai  on Thursday said a temporary tent office set up on the PIMS premises had started functioning to address administrative issues and facilitate patients and the public.

Speaking to journalists at PIMS, Mahmood Rai said that he would remain available at the tent office to resolve problems being faced by the hospital and provide better facilities to patients.

“I will sit at the PIMS tent office after completing necessary official matters at the ministry of health every day,” he said, adding that resolving the hospital’s administrative issues was his top priority.

He said that he would personally sit at PIMS to hear complaints from the hospital administration, patients and citizens and take steps for their resolution.

He said a high-level reconstituted committee was investigating the fire at PIMS that claimed the lives of 14 newborn babies.

“I hope the committee will soon determine the causes of the fire and submit its report to the prime minister,” he said.

The health secretary expressed solidarity with the parents of the newborns who died in the tragedy, saying the government shared their grief.

He said effective measures would be taken to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.

Mahmood Rai said that efforts would also be made to upgrade PIMS’ infrastructure in line with international standards.

He said that immediate attention would be given to improving governance and introducing administrative reforms at the hospital.

“Modern technology will be utilised to resolve PIMS’ problems and improve its services,” the secretary said.