Welding Work Conducted Inside Karachi Hospital Nursery With Newborns Present

A video has emerged showing welding work being performed inside the nursery of the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in Karachi, while newborn babies were present. The footage depicts infants lying on beds as welding activities took place nearby. Reports indicate that between 80 and 120 babies were present at the time, many of whom required oxygen support.

The repair work was reportedly being carried out in the emergency department’s nursery to create an emergency exit route, but the procedure proceeded with newborns still inside the area. Attempts to reach the hospital administration for details on the incident were unsuccessful. The video emerged weeks after a fatal fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on August 26, which resulted in the death of 15 newborns, including 14 who perished during the blaze and one more who died subsequently.

An investigation into the PIMS fire identified an electrical fault in the air conditioner's supply cable as the most likely cause of ignition, but the report attributed the tragedy to "systematic and institutional failures." The fire became visible at approximately 6:38am, and dense smoke filled the nursery within one to two minutes, leaving an "exceptionally narrow rescue window."

The post detailing the welding work inside a Karachi hospital nursery with newborns present was originally published on ProPakistani.