PIMS fire: Executive Director Imran Sikandar among eight suspended

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday ordered the immediate suspension of eight officials of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), including the Executive Director Imran Sikandar, identified by an inquiry committee as responsible for the PIMS neonatal ward fire that claimed the lives of at least 14 children.

Chairing a high-level meeting on the incident, the prime minister also directed that departmental as well as criminal proceedings be initiated against those responsible, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Those ordered to be suspended include:

• PIMS Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar
• Joint Executive Directors Dr Mutahir Shah and Waris Ali Raza
• Head of the Neonatal Department Professor Dr Saadia Riaz
• Senior Registrar Dr Naghma
• Dr Nosheela Amjad
• PIMS Assistant Director Security Muhammad Usman
• CDA Emergency Services Director General Dr Abdul Rehman

The prime minister also approved action against the security company deployed at the PIMS and its officials.

He directed Dr Muhammad Salman, CEO of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to be appointed Acting Executive Director of the PIMS.

The premier further ordered immediate replacement of officials removed from their posts.

The prime minister directed that the interim report of the inquiry committee be made public immediately and uploaded on the Ministry of National Health Services’ website.

“Those responsible for criminal negligence do not deserve any concession,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in the PMO statement. Exemplary punishment would be ensured so that no mother was separated from her child due to criminal negligence, he added.

The inquiry found that PIMS had no detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) or training for dealing with fire or other emergency situations. Of the hospital’s 13 SOPs, references to fire or emergency situations were found in only two subsections.

The inquiry also found that no supervisory staff was present on duty when the incident occurred. Two nurses, a female security guard and a house officer were present in the ward at the time.

An emergency services call was made six minutes after the fire broke out, while the first emergency response arrived 15 minutes later, according to the briefing.

The ward had no fire alarm or sprinkler system, while the neonatal department was found to be in violation of relevant World Health Organization (WHO) requirements.

The inquiry further revealed that a fire had occurred at the PIMS nursing hostel in July, but no serious safety measures were taken afterwards.

The hospital also had no officer specifically responsible for fire-related emergencies, with an assistant director assigned the responsibility as an additional charge.

The meeting was also briefed on the hospital’s dilapidated condition and administrative mismanagement.

The prime minister approved the conferment of the Sitara-e-Khidmat award and a cash reward of Rs10 million on a nurse named Razia Noreen who risked her life to save a child during the fire.

He also ordered that a nurse and a female security guard present in the ward be made Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) pending further investigation.

The inquiry committee’s interim report was presented during the meeting, along with CCTV footage showing the incident, which lasted approximately two minutes.

The prime minister thanked inquiry committee Chairman Shahid Khan and its members and directed them to complete the investigation and submit a detailed report.

Federal Ministers Ahsan Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar and Syed Mustafa Kamal, committee Chairman Shahid Khan, members Barrister Nabeel Awan and Major General (retd) Khurshid Uttra, and other senior officials attended the meeting.

PIMS fire probe flags ‘inadequate’ fire safety, medical facilities

An initial inquiry report into the tragic fire at the nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad had been completed and submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Aaj News reported earlier on Saturday citing sources.

According to the sources, the report was prepared by an inquiry committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan and submitted to Prime Minister’s Adviser Tauqeer Shah, who subsequently forwarded it to the prime minister.

The report, signed by all members of the inquiry committee, had not yet been made public.

The inquiry report had identified inadequate medical and fire-safety facilities at PIMS, stating that none of the safety arrangements at the hospital met international standards.

The committee also recorded detailed accounts from hospital administrators and doctors, as well as statements from firefighters and rescue teams. It highlighted the difficulties encountered during the emergency response.

The committee had recommended strict action against relevant staff members who were found absent from duty at the time of the incident.

An earlier report by the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) fire department had also found that a fire exit at the hospital had been locked and kept permanently closed. It further alleged that security personnel obstructed the initial response of fire brigade teams.

Meanwhile, conflicting accounts emerged from officials and eyewitnesses regarding the sequence of events and the administrative response on the day of the tragedy.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said the fire might have started from a spark from an air conditioner at around 6:38am on August 26, while video footage showed people beginning to evacuate the ward at around 6:39am.

He said 14 infants in the ward were on oxygen, which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. He added that the hospital did not have an automatic fire sprinkler system and that 26 fire extinguishers were used to put out the blaze.

Kamal said efforts had been made to comply with notices issued to the hospital authorities.

However, PIMS Executive Director Rana Imran Sikandar denied that the fire exit had been locked. He said one door had restricted access because of previous incidents involving child theft, but maintained that it had not been locked.

Questions had also been raised over the response time of rescue teams and the identification and handing over of the victims’ remains.

Speaking to AFP, eyewitness Khurram Mahmood, who lost his three-day-old daughter in the fire, claimed that rescue workers took several hours to arrive and that victims were left waiting for assistance on the roadside.

Another eyewitness, Abdul Ghafoor, said the ward was filled with thick smoke and claimed that rescue teams arrived nearly two hours later.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, however, rejected the claims, saying rescue teams had reached the site within six minutes of receiving the alert.

Chaudhry also said the remains of all 14 infants were handed over to their families only after their identities had been fully verified through identification bands placed on their wrists, medical records and available forensic facilities.

He said the inquiry would also determine why emergency exits were inaccessible and assess the response of staff members who were on duty at the time of the incident.

The PIMS nursery fire claimed the lives of 14 infants and has prompted calls for accountability and comprehensive improvements in fire safety and emergency preparedness at public hospitals.