ISLAMABAD: (Staff Reporter) – Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has vowed strict action if negligence is established in the deadly fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) nursery, saying no one found responsible will be spared.
Speaking to the media outside PIMS Hospital, Kamal described the incident as a devastating tragedy and expressed condolences to the families who lost their newborn children. He said the nursery had been caring for 14 newborn babies at the time of the fire and prayed for strength and patience for their grieving parents.
The health minister said he was prepared to face accountability himself and insisted that there would be no favouritism or leniency if the investigation identifies negligence.
Minister Gives Timeline of Fire
Kamal said preliminary information indicated that a spark originated inside an air-conditioning unit at approximately 6:38pm. Within a minute, people were reportedly seen leaving the room, while hospital staff also witnessed the incident.
According to the minister, flames then spread rapidly through the nursery. He said oxygen caught fire and flames travelled along the oxygen lines, causing the room to become engulfed within a very short period.
Asked whether he would resign, Kamal said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was his superior and that he would comply with any instructions issued by him. He added that the prime minister had the authority to appoint or suspend officials and said he was ready to appear before him.
Kamal said the prime minister had remained in contact with him since morning and had issued the necessary directions. He added that the investigation findings would be made public and that he would brief the premier on the situation.
The minister said authorities would work to identify the causes of the tragedy and introduce measures aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.
Sherry Rehman Seeks Senate Debate
Separately, Senator Sherry Rehman has submitted an adjournment motion in the Senate seeking a debate on the PIMS nursery fire.
Rehman expressed serious concern over the tragedy and said the identities of the deceased children had reportedly not yet been established. She stressed that the incident occurred at one of the country’s major federal hospitals and raised serious questions about emergency preparedness and accountability.
She pointed out that concerns had already been raised last year regarding PIMS’s water supply, fire safety and emergency systems, with a report requested on the hospital’s preparedness.
According to Rehman, those concerns eventually faded from public attention without adequate resolution. She said the latest tragedy demonstrated the need for transparent accountability, particularly as families and citizens across the country were demanding answers.
The senator questioned why people had reportedly struggled to enter or exit the hospital, why the gate was not opened and why an explanation had not been provided for the emergency gate remaining closed. She also claimed that some people were forced to break windows to escape.
Rehman welcomed the prime minister’s intervention and the removal of the federal health secretary, but said PIMS Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar would also have to explain how the hospital’s emergency response system failed.
She described the incident as an exceptionally serious tragedy for a major hospital in the capital, raising concerns over the reported lack of water at firefighting points and the availability of medical staff during the emergency.
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