Islamabad, September 16, 2026: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to implement all short-term remedial and fire safety measures at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) within three months in line with international standards.
Chairing a meeting on the action plan for improving Pims, the prime minister instructed the relevant authorities to implement the short-term measures recommended in the inquiry report into the Pims nursery fire and take all possible steps to upgrade the hospital according to international standards.
The directives came a day after a comprehensive inquiry into the fire that killed 14 newborns at the Pims nursery concluded that an electrical fault in the supply cable of air conditioner number two was the most probable cause of the blaze. The inquiry described the tragedy as the result of “systematic and institutional failures”.
According to the inquiry report, the fire became visible at around 6:38am and dense smoke engulfed the nursery within one to two minutes, leaving an “exceptionally narrow rescue window”.
The emergency was reported to the Capital Emergency Service (CES) at 6:54am, resulting in a 16-minute gap that the inquiry committee identified as a major chronological concern. The CES, however, responded within minutes after receiving the confirmed notification.
During Wednesday’s meeting, participants reviewed the inquiry report into the Pims fire as well as a performance audit of the hospital conducted by the Ministry of National Health Services.
Prime Minister Shehbaz suggested seeking assistance and technical proposals from the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) for strengthening the hospital’s fire safety system. He also directed that recommendations contained in the World Health Organisation (WHO) report be implemented.
The prime minister said the Pims action plan should also include measures to provide medicines and other essential facilities to patients completely free of charge.
He directed the authorities to deploy well-reputed and capable human resources at the hospital and prepare a comprehensive long-term plan for improving healthcare services and facilities at Pims.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also ordered an audit of Polyclinic Hospital to identify irregularities and prepare an action plan for its restructuring.
He directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to ensure the implementation of fire safety measures at all government and private hospitals in the federal capital.
The prime minister further instructed the CDA and other relevant institutions to conduct comprehensive fire safety audits of government and private buildings and ensure implementation of the required safety measures.
The meeting was informed that the performance audit of Pims found only 39.7% compliance with the indicators examined, against an acceptable target of 90%.
Officials said implementation of 37 proposed measures was being ensured immediately in light of the inquiry report.
The participants were also briefed on short-, medium- and long-term measures proposed to improve the hospital and bring its facilities and services closer to international standards.
Federal Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar and Syed Mustafa Kamal, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath and senior relevant officials attended the meeting.
