Lawmakers call for debate on deadly Pims blaze in Parliament

ISLAMABAD: Following the tragic fire that killed 14 babies in a gynaecology ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday, the matter reached Parliament as multiple PPP lawmakers submitted notices to call attention to the matter on Thursday.

The fire, which Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said was caused by a “blast in the air conditioner” in the ward, drew widespread condemnation and grief. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swiftly removed the federal health secretary on Wednesday as an inquiry was launched.

PPP lawmakers moved multiple calling-attention notices in the National Assembly (NA), seeking an immediate investigation and debate over the deaths.

PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman submitted an adjournment motion in the Senate over the tragic incident, calling for an immediate and comprehensive investigation.

She said that the loss of newborn lives at a major government hospital in the federal capital was a matter of grave public concern and could not be treated as a routine incident.

“The failure of essential safety arrangements at the capital’s central government hospital is unacceptable. The reported non-functioning of several safety protocols at Pims raises serious questions that must be answered,” she said.

Senator Rehman called for the Senate’s routine proceedings to be suspended to allow a detailed debate on the Pims tragedy and to ensure that those responsible for any negligence were held accountable. She added that a “complete and transparent” investigation must be conducted into the tragedy.

PPP MNA Dr Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto submitted a calling-attention notice in the NA, describing the incident as a “grave and deeply disturbing tragedy”.

Separately, PPP MNA Sehar Kamran and the party’s central information secretary Shazia Marri submitted another calling-attention notice on the incident, which was also signed by PPP lawmakers Shahida Rehmani, Agha Rafiullah and Mirza Ikhtiar Baig.

Criticism within hospital

While the incident is being condemned across the country, a severe wave of criticism has also been triggered within Pims. Senior doctors expressed the belief that the incident could have been avoided if wise decisions had been taken earlier.

A senior doctor, wishing not to be named, said, “If flame-proof electrical fittings were not used in the nursery, responsibility may lie with the electromedical department, depending upon its approved scope of work, specifications, installation, and maintenance responsibilities.”

Noting that the joint executive director (JED) had directly issued the schedule and instructions for shifting patients to a new building during renovations, the doctor said that the inquiry should examine the “authorisation, planning, safety clearance, and handover process associated” with the shift.

Another doctor said that a deputy director of engineering was responsible for the maintenance and oversight of all buildings, electrical installations and equipment. The inquiry should therefore determine whether the electrical infrastructure, wiring standards, safety certification, inspection, and fitness of the building were properly verified before its occupation.

“Responsibility should not be placed solely on the clinical or administrative staff,” he added.

Closure of emergency exits criticised

While the Pims administration has been claiming that the emergency doors of the hospital were closed to ensure that babies and equipment would not be stolen, former Punjab Health Minister Dr Javed Akram said that this was not a wise decision.

“They should install CCTV cameras and appoint guards. It is a hospital not a jail … I headed the Pims hospital for seven years, but not a single baby was stolen,” the doctor, who was also formerly the vice chancellor of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, explained.

He said that global tagging and GPS-based wrist bands were used to ensure that baby did not get lost or exchanged with any other, adding that there had also been fire drills and a patient safety department at the hospital which had since become “dysfunctional”.

Former secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Dr Qaiser Sajjad, speaking to Dawn, suggested that the government should not start any new health projects across Pakistan for a year, instead focusing on upgrading the existing hospitals.

He also suggested that the prime minister, chief ministers, ministers, parliamentarians, secretaries and other key figures receive medical treatment from public-sector hospitals, saying, “It is unfortunate that they get treatment from abroad and masses are getting killed in hospitals.”

PSEM calls for review; activists demand staff suspensions

The Pakistan Society of Emergency Medicine (PSEM) suggested a transparent, objective, and systems-based review of the incident, focused on identifying lessons that could strengthen patient safety across healthcare facilities.

Separately, civil society activists including Shafique Chaudhry, executive director of the Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights; Sadia Bokhari of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP); minority rights activist William Pervaiz, and Omer Gillani held a press conference at Islamabad’s National Press Club expressing serious concern over the incident.

They demanded the immediate suspension of the senior administrative staff concerned. They also demanded the immediate development and enforcement of comprehensive safety and emergency protocols for all hospitals and emergency response training for all concerned hospital staff.

Pims referring serious cases to other hospitals

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has made temporary arrangements to refer some serious gynaecological cases to Polyclinic and other hospitals in Rawalpindi.

A senior gynaecologist, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said the hospital had no refusal policy and that “all cases are accepted”.

“However, as the nursery has been burned and it will take some time to renovate and carry out repair work, it has been decided to refer very serious cases to other hospitals,” she said.

She noted that even on Thursday, there had been three or four deliveries in Pims which could be considered “serious” — but the hospital realised that other hospitals would not be able to take the load if it started referring every case.

Health ministry to be run from Pims

Newly appointed Health Secretary Capt (retd) Muhammad Mehmood, speaking to the media, said he had begun efforts to introduce new technology to address the issues.

“The infrastructure should be as per international levels and governance should also be improved. I am new and do not understand the health sector, but my job is administration and I can do it,” he said.

Mehmood said he would run the ministry from Pims and remain there most of the time to understand the problems faced by the hospital. When asked how this would work, he said it was the era of technology and “everything was possible”.

“I can leave Pims to attend important meetings, such as those chaired by the prime minister, but will then return to Pims,” he said.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital’s ward, and while it was initially suggested that a spark in the air conditioner could have led to the fire, the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.

Witnesses said they waited hours for help from the emergency services, were forced to smash through windows to try and get to the neonatal intensive care unit and came across locked doors. Authorities, however, insist otherwise.

On Thursday, the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) issued urgent directives for the effective implementation of fire safety measures in public and private hospitals across Punjab.

The PHC directed health departments, the Punjab Emergency Services Department and hospital managements to take immediate steps to ensure comprehensive arrangements for responding to fire and non-fire emergencies.