PIMS Hospital fire in Islamabad: 14 newborns reported dead as inquiry begins

ISLAMABAD: A devastating sort of fire broke out in the gynaecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, early Wednesday morning, killing a number of newborn babies and that official investigation stuff was set in motion about why it happened, or what exactly caused the blaze.

The death toll is still not really settled, with conflicting reports coming in. The Islamabad administration, and Dawn in their reporting said 14 newborns died. But, other Pakistani media outlets, citing hospital and rescue officials, said 15 infants were killed.

Per the Islamabad administration, the fire started on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital ward at around 7am. Rescue teams moved fast , with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances joined into the emergency operation.

“The fire was immediately brought under control and the children were immediately shifted to the intensive care unit,” the administration said, like, in so many words.

PIMS officials reportedly said that something like 15 to 16 newborns were inside the nursery when the fire broke out and that one baby was rescued alive.

What set off the fire is also not conclusively established yet. Rescue sources, as mentioned by several Pakistani media outlets, suggested an air conditioning compressor may have exploded. Meanwhile, a PIMS spokesperson said it looked like a short circuit.

Now an official investigation has been launched. The Islamabad administration said an inquiry committee, headed by the additional deputy commissioner general had been formed, to figure out how the fire started and to look at the situation around the deaths.

PIMS spokesperson Dr Aneeza Jalil said the fire broke out at about 7am and pointed toward a short circuit as the likely reason.

“At least one baby was saved by a doctor,” she said.

One of the patients relatives also raised concerns about the building itself, saying that repair and renovation work was underway when the tragedy happened.

“After the fire erupted, they told patients to vacate the building. Women who had just given birth had to rush down the stairs from the second floor,” Malik Israr told Dawn.

The incident has again brought up questions about fire safety, emergency readiness and the infrastructure conditions at one of Islamabad’s largest public sector hospitals.

PIMS and Imran Khan’s Recent Hospital Visit

This tragedy happened at the same hospital where former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned at Adiala Jail, was recently taken for a medical examination.

Khan was moved to PIMS after Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered that he be examined by qualified doctors, after concerns were raised over his health. He was then declared medically fit and returned to prison.

According to reports, Khan was examined by a team that included an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist and a physician. His sister, Dr Uzma Khan, accompanied him during that medical assessment.

The Supreme Court initially ordered Khan be taken to a private hospital in Islamabad, but authorities sent him instead to the government run PIMS facility, saying security concerns were there around the planned visit.

The connection between the two events seems limited, basically only the location. There is no reported link between Imran Khan’s hospital visit and Wednesday’s fire.

PIMS, established in 1985, is among Islamabad’s biggest public healthcare institutions, and it runs multiple hospitals and teaching facilities.

The newborn deaths have triggered an official inquiry, while authorities are expected to probe not just the immediate cause of the fire but also whether safety or infrastructure issues helped make the tragedy unfold at this scale.

As the investigation continues, officials are expected to share more details on the confirmed death toll and the conditions around the fire, once they’re able to verify it.