Pakistan hospital fire blamed on institutional failure

An official inquiry has found that a fire that killed 14 infants at a maternity ward in Pakistan's capital followed “systemic and institutional failure” at the hospital.

The dawn blaze broke out on August 26 on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health Ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad.

The 42-page official report, dated September 7, found that there were no working smoke detectors or sprinklers serving the affected area. It said the strongest technical evidence showed the most probable point of ignition was a power supply cable to an air conditioning unit.

The report said PIMS and its senior management bore the principal institutional responsibility for failing to turn known risks, prior warnings and assigned duties into an effective safety system.

It also found that no nursery-specific evacuation procedures were followed. Witnesses described intense smoke, broken glass and a slow emergency response on the day of the fire. One mother who lost her infant said a door to the neonatal intensive care unit was locked, hampering rescue efforts.

Despite multiple claims that the emergency response was slow, the inquiry rejected any generalised allegation that frontline personnel abandoned the newborns.

At the time of the fire, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for an investigation and said the strictest possible action should be taken against those found responsible.

Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often because of poor safety laws and building codes, weak enforcement and emergency procedures.