Fourteen newborn babies died Wednesday when fire tore through the maternity ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, one of the country's largest state-run hospitals. Of the 15 infants in the unit at the time, one was rescued. Seven other babies, two men and 10 mothers were also brought out safely, Pakistan's Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said.
The fire started in an air-conditioning unit and was rapidly spread by oxygen connections throughout the ward, a hospital spokesman said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri—the highest-ranking civil servant in the health ministry—and removed him from his post. Sharif also ordered a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the circumstances of the fire.
Islamabad's District Magistrate formed a separate fact-finding committee to examine the cause of the blaze and assess what safety measures were in place. That committee was ordered to deliver its report within 24 hours.
The bodies of all 14 babies were handed over to their families after their identities had been confirmed, Chaudhry said.
Families gathered outside the hospital in tears. One man told reporters his three-day-old baby had died in the fire. A father of another victim said safety measures at the hospital were inadequate, claiming there were no proper emergency exits and that all doors had been closed when the fire broke out.
The hospital's executive director disputed that account, telling reporters the door to the maternity ward was not locked. He said the door was staffed by personnel rather than left open freely, citing the risk of infant abduction as the reason access was controlled.
Two senior Pakistani senators called for stronger hospital safety standards. One said there is an urgent need to modernize safety systems across the country's public health facilities.
PIMS is among the biggest government-run hospitals in Pakistan and serves as a primary referral center for the capital. The fire has raised questions about whether routine safety inspections of high-risk units—where oxygen lines run alongside electrical systems—are conducted and enforced at required standards.
