Fire tragedy: New PIMS ED vows to take steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents

ISLAMABAD: The newly appointed Executive Director of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Dr Muhammad Salman, on Sunday vowed to address safety lapses and prevent a repeat of the tragedy in which 14 infants died in a fire at the hospital’s gynaecology ward.

Speaking to reporters after assuming charge, Dr Salman said the administration would act on the recommendations of the inquiry committee constituted to investigate the incident.

The fire, which broke out in the hospital’s gynaecology ward on August 26, killed 14 of the 15 newborns housed in the nursery, according to PIMS officials. Only one infant was rescued by a nurse.

The tragedy prompted the government to suspend eight senior officials, including PIMS Executive Director Dr Imran Sikandar and Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on Saturday to review the incident, during which the inquiry committee presented its interim report.

The prime minister directed the immediate suspension of eight officials named in the report, including Dr Sikandar, and ordered that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against them without delay. Ghori had been suspended earlier over the incident.

Dr Salman, who also serves as chief executive officer of the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has been posted to PIMS on deputation for three years.

On Sunday, he said patient safety would be made a priority and that the administration would work to improve healthcare services at the hospital.

“We are making efforts; we will have to provide better and faster services,” he said.

Referring to the fire and another recent incident at the hospital, Dr Salman said the administration would formulate a strategy to ensure that such incidents did not recur.

Acknowledging the enormous pressure on the hospital, he said PIMS was dealing with a “very heavy patient load” and that steps would be taken to improve facilities for the large number of patients seeking treatment there.

He added that the hospital administration would approach the health ministry for improved facilities and resources for patients.

The appointment of Dr Salman comes as the government faces growing scrutiny over safety standards and administrative failures at the country’s largest public-sector hospital in the wake of the nursery deaths.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026