ISLAMABAD: Special Report: Interim inquiry finds serious fire-safety lapses, delayed emergency notification and administrative failures; senior PIMS officials, CDA officer and security personnel face action.
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the immediate suspension of several senior officials of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and external agencies, along with initiation of criminal proceedings against three persons, after an inquiry into the deadly fire at the hospital’s MCH/Nursery identified serious deficiencies in fire safety, emergency preparedness and administrative oversight.
The inquiry committee, constituted on the directions of the Prime Minister following the August 26, 2026 fire incident, submitted its interim report on August 28. The committee examined CCTV footage, hospital and security records, fire-safety arrangements and the response of PIMS, CDA/CES and other relevant agencies.
According to the interim findings, CCTV footage showed the first visible emergency at approximately 6:38:15am, when Charge Nurse Nasreen hurriedly emerged from the nursery and sought assistance. Within approximately two minutes, the situation deteriorated catastrophically. The committee, however, said that the precise technical source of ignition had not yet been conclusively established and would require forensic examination.
The report noted that PIMS did not have a properly approved, communicated, trained and rehearsed MCH/Nursery-specific fire and evacuation Standard Operating Procedure. It also raised serious questions over locked or obstructed emergency exits, inadequate fire and life-safety arrangements and shortcomings in emergency response preparedness.
Significantly, the committee referred to an earlier fire at the PIMS Female Nursing Hostel on July 6, 2026, after which deficiencies in smoke detection, automatic alarms, emergency warning mechanisms, fire-safety inspections and evacuation arrangements had already been identified.
The report said that on August 25, just one day before the fatal nursery fire, a meeting had been held to review implementation of recommendations arising from the earlier incident.
The committee also identified a potentially serious emergency notification gap. CCTV indicated that the emergency was apparent at about 6:38am, while records showed that the Capital Emergency Service received the emergency call at approximately 6:54am. The inquiry said responsibility for any avoidable delay would have to be determined after reconciling telephone and other evidence.
In its interim conclusion, the committee said the fire spread with extraordinary rapidity and the nursery environment became smoke-filled within approximately two minutes. While medical, nursing and security personnel made immediate rescue attempts and evacuated the nursery, the committee said the available record did not support a general finding that frontline clinical staff simply abandoned the newborns.
Following consideration of the report, the Prime Minister directed that Prof. Dr. Imran Sikandar, Executive Director PIMS; Prof. Dr. Sadia Riaz, HoD Neonatology, Children Hospital PIMS; Dr. Nagham, Senior Registrar, Neonatology Department PIMS; Dr. Mutahir Shah, Joint Executive Director MCH; Ch. Waris Ali Raza, Joint Executive Director Non-Medical PIMS; Dr. Nosheela Amjad, Director MCH; Dr. Abdul Rehman, Director General CHS, CDA; and Mr. Muhammad Usman, Assistant Director Security, be placed under suspension and disciplinary proceedings initiated against them.
The Prime Minister further directed that criminal proceedings be initiated against three persons. The order also directed that Charge Nurse Ms. Nasreen and security guard Ms. Maria be placed off duty until further orders, with their continuation to be decided after considering the committee’s recommendations.
The report separately recommended action against officials responsible for an unsupervised Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), saying clinical examination of newborn babies found the NICU unsupervised and that qualified clinical oversight and management had not been ensured. It recommended suspension and proceedings against Prof. Dr. Sadia Riaz and Dr. Nagham.
The committee also raised prima facie administrative concerns against senior PIMS management over failure to ensure fire-safety arrangements, evacuation procedures, functional exits, emergency preparedness and implementation of earlier recommendations. It said individual criminal responsibility would require further investigation and should not be presumed merely from administrative shortcomings.
In relation to external agencies, the inquiry said CDA’s Capital Emergency Service had previously raised fire-safety deficiencies at PIMS and recommended departmental proceedings against Dr. Abdul Rehman, Director General CES, CDA, and Muhammad Usman, Assistant Director Security, according to their respective responsibilities.
The Prime Minister also ordered that the contract of M/s Belfort Security, which provided security services at PIMS, be reviewed and appropriate action taken for failure to carry out contractual obligations. The matter is also to be referred to the Interior and Narcotics Division for review of the firm’s licence.
In another major administrative decision, Dr. Muhammad Salman, CEO NIH, has been ordered transferred and posted as Executive Director PIMS on deputation until further orders. He will also hold the additional charge of CEO NIH until alternative arrangements are made.
The committee stressed that its findings remain interim and that final criminal culpability should be determined only after comprehensive investigation, including forensic examination and reconciliation of the available evidence.
