Newborn infant left unclaimed at Pims for two months dies in blaze

Islamabad - In a tragic incident, a newborn infant who had remained unclaimed at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for two months passed away in a fire that broke out at the hospital on Wednesday. Born on June 21 to a young girl believed to be around 15 years old, the infant was among 14 babies who died in the blaze.

The girl reportedly did not possess the necessary documents to prove her marriage. Hospital staff had repeatedly asked her husband and grandmother to provide proof of marriage, but they never returned. The child, named Ali by hospital staff, was kept in the Mother and Child Health (MCH) nursery alongside other sick babies, putting him at high risk of infection and depriving him of essential care for normal neurocognitive development.

Despite efforts to facilitate his adoption, police failed to follow up on the case for two months after the infant's death. The infant's body remains in the hospital mortuary, with only his legal heirs entitled to receive it. The fire, initially reported to have started from a spark in the air conditioning system, rapidly escalated due to oxygen points in each incubator.

Despite immediate response from two doctors and two nurses, a massive explosion occurred, causing ceilings to fall. The incident has sparked outrage, with demands for accountability and criticism of the hospital administration.