PM orders PIMS inquiry measures within three months

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed officials to put into action the short-term recommendations from the inquiry report regarding the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) within a span of three months. This directive came during a meeting where the action plan for enhancing PIMS was reviewed, along with the inquiry report and performance audit by the Ministry of National Health Services, as per a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The tragic fire at a nursery within PIMS' Mother and Child Hospital on August 26 resulted in the loss of 14 infants, prompting concerns about fire safety procedures and prompting calls for accountability. Following the meeting, the prime minister emphasized the need to employ personnel of high professional standards at the hospital and stressed the formulation of a comprehensive action plan, encompassing both short-term and long-term measures.

He also directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to ensure the implementation of fire safety measures in all public and private hospitals in Islamabad, and directed agencies to conduct fire safety audits of public and private buildings. The performance audit of PIMS revealed that only 39.7 percent compliance was found against the assessed indicators, with immediate implementation underway on 37 proposed measures based on the investigative report.

The inquiry committee, established by the prime minister's order on the day of the fire, concluded in its 43-page report that the fire was likely caused by a localized electrical failure, while also criticizing the hospital management for systemic and institutional shortcomings that transformed the fire into a catastrophe. The committee, led by former interior secretary Shahid Khan, highlighted a history of prior warnings that were not effectively addressed, leading to the tragic outcome.