Islamabad, August 26, 2026: Fourteen newborn babies were killed when a devastating fire swept through the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, early Wednesday, triggering nationwide outrage, questions over hospital safety standards and a high-level government investigation.
The blaze broke out on the third floor of the MCH ward at around 6:45am, according to officials. The Capital Emergency Service said it received the fire call at 6:54am and that fire and rescue teams reached the hospital within seven minutes. Six fire brigade units and four ambulances were deployed in the operation.
The fire was brought under control, while rescue teams evacuated patients and other occupants from the affected area. Officials said 19 people, including seven children, 10 women and two men, were rescued. Fourteen newborns, however, died in the blaze.
PIMS spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil said 15 babies had been in the affected ward and that at least one infant was rescued by a doctor. The tragedy left grieving parents and relatives gathered outside the hospital, demanding answers over the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
AC unit, oxygen and fire safety under scrutiny
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said preliminary examination of CCTV footage showed a spark in an air-conditioning unit at around 6:38am, followed by what appeared to be a fireball that fell onto the floor of the ward.
According to the minister, the footage showed two nurses and two doctors rushing for help at around 6:39am, after which the room was rapidly engulfed in flames.
Kamal said experts and relevant institutions were investigating the incident and promised that the facts would be brought to light. He said preliminary indications suggested that 14 of the 15 infants had been connected to oxygen tubes and that the oxygen may have accelerated the spread of the fire.
The minister described the deaths as a “heart-wrenching” tragedy and pledged that anyone found responsible for negligence would face action, including himself if the inquiry established any lapse on his part.
Questions have also been raised over the hospital’s fire-safety arrangements and the accessibility of the nursery during the emergency.
Kamal said access to the nursery was restricted and guarded because of previous incidents involving attempts to steal newborn babies. However, relatives alleged that doors were locked during the fire and that they had to break windows to help people escape.
Several witnesses told AFP that thick smoke spread through the ward and that relatives and other occupants struggled to reach the affected nursery. Some said they smashed windows to gain access after being unable to enter through doors. These allegations are expected to form part of the official investigation.
Grieving parents demand justice
The tragedy sparked scenes of intense grief outside PIMS as parents and relatives struggled to come to terms with the loss of their newborn children.
Khurram Mehmood, who said he lost his three-day-old daughter, alleged that emergency responders took hours to arrive and said families were left waiting outside as they attempted to save their loved ones.
Another grieving mother, Jaweria, demanded justice and questioned the response of hospital staff and emergency services.
Witnesses also alleged that medical personnel were not immediately available in the nursery and that inadequate emergency exits and fire-safety arrangements hampered rescue efforts.
Authorities have not endorsed these allegations, and officials have maintained that rescue teams reached the hospital within minutes of receiving the emergency call. The conflicting accounts are now among the issues to be examined by the inquiry committees.
PM removes health secretary, orders high-level inquiry
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took immediate notice of the tragedy and ordered a high-level investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the premier expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the newborns and directed that those responsible for any negligence be identified and dealt with strictly.
During a high-level meeting on the incident, the prime minister suspended and removed Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri from his position and directed him to leave the meeting.
A high-level inquiry committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan has been constituted to investigate the incident. Establishment Secretary Dr Barrister Nabeel Awan is also among the members.
Separately, the Islamabad district administration constituted a fact-finding committee headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner General to determine the exact cause of the fire, assess whether adequate and functional fire-safety arrangements were in place, and examine the response time and effectiveness of the rescue and firefighting operation.
The district committee has been directed to submit its findings within 24 hours.
Following the removal of Aslam Ghauri, Captain (retired) Muhammad Mahmood, a BS-21 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, was appointed federal health secretary for three months or until the appointment of a regular incumbent.
Government disputes allegations of rescue delay
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry rejected allegations that emergency services were late in reaching PIMS.
Speaking to reporters at the hospital, Chaudhry said rescue teams arrived within six minutes of receiving the information and maintained that there appeared to be no negligence on the part of the rescue services.
He said the rescue operation had been completed and that the bodies of all 14 newborns had been handed over to their families after identification. He added that the inquiry would determine whether there were any lapses within the hospital itself.
The Capital Development Authority also said its fire and rescue teams responded within minutes of the emergency call, with multiple fire tenders, ambulances and emergency personnel deployed to the scene.
Questions over longstanding fire-safety notices
The tragedy has revived questions about fire-safety compliance at PIMS and other public-sector hospitals.
During his media briefing, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal was questioned about reports that PIMS had received repeated notices concerning safety arrangements over several years.
Kamal said the hospital had responded to previous notices and claimed that firefighting equipment, including 26 fire extinguishers, was available in the building. He acknowledged, however, that the hospital continued to face significant challenges and that its facilities had to cope with a patient load far beyond their original capacity.
Interior Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry also acknowledged that notices had previously been issued to PIMS, but said an inquiry would have to determine what had been complied with and what remained unresolved.
The issue has assumed greater significance following a wider assessment of fire-safety compliance in Islamabad that identified shortcomings in a large number of public and private buildings.
Calls for accountability grow
The tragedy prompted demands for accountability from political leaders, parliamentarians, civil society organisations and medical bodies.
PPP leader Senator Sherry Rehman called for those responsible for any negligence to be held accountable, while PPP leader Nayyar Hussain Bokhari demanded action against the head of the Mother and Child Health facility.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and called for responsibility to be determined in accordance with the law.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani also expressed condolences and called for effective fire-safety and emergency arrangements in hospitals.
Gilani stressed that any negligence in safety measures was unacceptable and urged the authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation and take practical steps to prevent similar tragedies.
The Pakistan Medical Association demanded strict action against officials responsible for any failure to enforce safety codes and called for greater institutional accountability and stronger emergency infrastructure in healthcare facilities.
Civil society organisations also demanded an independent investigation, with some groups calling for a judicial inquiry into allegations concerning locked doors, staffing and emergency preparedness.
International community expresses grief
The tragedy also drew condolences from the international community.
UNICEF expressed deep sadness over the deaths and called for an urgent review and strengthening of fire-prevention and safety standards across health facilities, stressing that every newborn and mother should receive care in a safe and secure environment.
The British, Turkish, French and Spanish diplomatic missions in Pakistan also expressed condolences to the bereaved families and those affected by the tragedy.
PIMS tragedy raises wider concerns
PIMS, established in 1985, is Islamabad’s largest public-sector hospital and one of the capital’s major referral and teaching institutions.
The deaths have once again highlighted concerns over fire safety, emergency preparedness, building-code enforcement and institutional accountability in Pakistan’s public healthcare system.
The government’s inquiries will now be expected to establish the exact cause of the fire, determine whether fire-safety systems were functional, assess the role of hospital management and staff, examine the response of emergency services, and determine whether any negligence or breach of duty contributed to the deaths.
For the bereaved families, however, the investigation will be measured not only by its findings but by whether those responsible are held accountable and whether concrete reforms are introduced to ensure that no other parents suffer the loss of their newborn children in circumstances that could have been prevented.
The tragedy has left the country mourning the deaths of 14 infants and confronting difficult questions about the safety of the very institutions entrusted with protecting the most vulnerable lives.
