ISLAMABAD (MNN); Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination have said that the devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), which claimed the lives of 14 infants, may have resulted from a technical fault, while the exact source of the blaze has yet to be determined.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad on Thursday, committee chairperson Mahesh Kumar Malani said the parliamentary panel would investigate whether the tragedy resulted from negligence or a technical failure.
He said conflicting accounts from hospital staff had made it difficult to determine how the fire started.
Earlier, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had stated that the fire began after a spark in an air conditioner. However, Malani said the air conditioner in question had reportedly not been operational for some time, while two other units in the nursery were portable.
According to Malani, doctors and nurses gave different versions of the incident. One doctor reportedly suggested that a spark may have originated from a bundle of wires, while other possibilities included faults in the oxygen supply system or electrical wiring.
He stressed that the exact source of the fire remained unknown but said there appeared to have been a technical fault somewhere in the system.
The committee also raised concerns over the condition of the nursery, which was established in 1990. Malani questioned why newborns were being kept in an old facility when a newly constructed and better-equipped block was available at the hospital.
The parliamentary committee has sought details from the Pims administration regarding fire safety arrangements, including the frequency of fire drills, the date of the last fire audit, the functioning of fire alarms and possible human errors.
Committee members also sought information about the maintenance of the nursery, the condition of its electrical wiring and air-conditioning system, as well as inspections of the hospital’s oxygen and electricity networks.
PPP MNA Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro said conflicting statements by hospital staff had raised serious questions about whether personnel were present at their assigned duties when the fire broke out. She called for accountability and demanded the resignation of the Pims executive director and the federal health minister on moral grounds.
Other committee members also expressed dissatisfaction over the accounts provided by hospital staff. JUI-F MNA Aliya Kamran alleged that some nurses appeared to have been instructed on what to say and raised concerns that the infants may have been left unattended.
She said the committee would summon the hospital administration, examine all available evidence and present its findings independently. Some members also demanded action against staff found responsible after the completion of the investigation.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday when a fire erupted in a nursery ward of the Pims Mother and Child Hospital, killing 14 infants.
According to the hospital’s initial account, a spark inside the nursery triggered the blaze, which spread rapidly due to oxygen points installed near the incubators. The hospital said medical and security staff immediately attempted to rescue the babies before a powerful blast caused part of the ceiling to collapse.
However, witnesses and bereaved families gave differing accounts, with some alleging delays in the emergency response and difficulties accessing the ward. These claims were later disputed by the hospital administration and government authorities.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif subsequently ordered an inquiry into the tragedy and removed Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri. A separate seven-member fact-finding committee has also been formed by the Islamabad administration to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.
The incident has triggered widespread public and political outrage, with growing demands for a transparent investigation, accountability and urgent improvements in fire and safety standards at public hospitals.
