Pims tragedy: PM orders suspension, criminal proceedings against eight named in inquiry

• Dr Muhammad Salman named acting Pims chief.
• Security company officials also face action.
• Removed officials to be replaced immediately.
  

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the immediate suspension and criminal proceedings against eight people named in the interim inquiry into the deadly fire at the gynaecology ward at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), which claimed the lives of 14 infants.

The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister to review the Pims fire incident, where the inquiry committee's interim report was presented to him.

Fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Pims on Wednesday morning. The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time, according to Pims officials, with only one infant rescued.

During the meeting, the prime minister directed that the eight people identified by the committee be suspended immediately and that action be initiated against them without delay.

He specifically ordered that those found responsible face not only departmental proceedings but also criminal proceedings under the relevant criminal laws, directing that such action be taken without discrimination.

Those named in the inquiry include Pims Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar; Joint Executive Directors Dr Mutahir Shah and Chaudhry Dr Waris Ali Raza; Head of the Neonatal Department Professor Dr Sadia Riaz; Senior Registrar Dr Naghma; Dr Nosheela Amjad; Pims Assistant Director Security Muhammad Usman; and CDA Emergency Services Director General Dr Abdul Rehman.

The prime minister also approved action against the security company deployed at the hospital and its officials. He directed that the officials removed from their posts be replaced immediately and in one go by new appointees.

Dr Muhammad Salman, CEO of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was directed to be appointed as acting executive director of Pims.

No emergency preparedness

The interim report presented to the meeting highlighted serious deficiencies in Pims' emergency preparedness and fire-safety arrangements.

A CCTV video of the incident, lasting approximately two minutes, was also shown during the meeting.

According to the initial investigation, the hospital had no detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) or training specifically covering fire or other emergency situations.

Of Pims’ 13 SOPs, only two sub-sections contained references to fire or emergency situations, according to the briefing.

The briefing further revealed that supervisory staff were not present on duty when the fire broke out.

At the time of the incident, two nurses, a female security guard and a house officer were present in the ward. The fire reportedly spread and engulfed the entire ward within just two minutes.

One nurse risked her life and rescued a baby before the flames spread through the ward, according to the briefing.

Emergency services were called six minutes after the fire started, while the first emergency response arrived 15 minutes after the call.

No dedicated officer for hospital emergencies

The meeting was informed that Pims had no officer specifically responsible for emergencies such as fires. Instead, the assistant director had been assigned the additional responsibility.

The prime minister was also briefed about the hospital's dilapidated condition and administrative mismanagement.

The briefing also highlighted that a fire had broken out at the Pims nursing hostel only a month earlier, in July, but serious measures to improve safety at the hospital were not taken even after that incident.

The neonatal ward had neither a fire alarm nor a sprinkler system, the meeting was told.

The inquiry also found violations of all relevant World Health Organisation (WHO) rules concerning neonatal wards.

Nurse who 'rescued' baby to receive Sitara-e-Khidmat

The prime minister also approved the conferment of the Sitara-e-Khidmat on the nurse who risked her life to save a baby during the fire.

He also ordered that another nurse and a female guard who were present in the ward be made officers on special duty (OSD) and directed that further investigations be conducted.

The prime minister said people found guilty of criminal negligence would not be entitled to any concession. “Those responsible for this incident will be brought to justice,” he said.

Describing the deaths of the innocent infants as a deeply tragic incident, PM Shehbaz said the entire nation was grieving over the loss. He expressed sympathy, along with the entire nation, to the parents of the deceased children.

The prime minister said exemplary punishment would be ensured for those responsible so that no mother would again be separated from her child because of someone's criminal negligence.