Heads roll as inquiry panel submits interim report on PIMS inferno

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the suspension and criminal action against eight officials of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) following a fire at the hospital that killed 14 infants. The decision was made based on the recommendations of an inquiry committee's interim report.

The eight officials include the Executive Director Imran Sikandar, Joint Executive Directors Dr Mutahir Shah and Dr Chaudhry Awais Ali Shah, head of the neonatal department Prof Dr Sadia Riaz, senior registrar Dr Nagham, Dr Naushila Amjad, PIMS Security Assistant Director Mohammad Usman, and Dr Abdulrehman, the director general of the Emergency Services of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), according to Dawn.

The inquiry found that PIMS had inadequate standard operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with fire or emergency situations, with only two of the hospital's 13 SOPs referencing such situations. It also found that no supervisory staff were present on duty when the incident occurred, with only two nurses, a female security guard, and a house officer present in the ward at the time, as per Business Recorder.

The Prime Minister has also approved action against the company tasked with security and its officers, and appointed Dr Mohammad Salman as the acting executive director of PIMS.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, Business Recorder, Dawn - Pakistan, Dawn — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.