PIMS Hospital Fire: PM Shehbaz Suspends Health Secretary, Forms High-Level Committee

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has suspended the federal health secretary and formed a high-level inquiry committee following a devastating fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.

The high level probe comes after a tragic fire that broke out in the nursery of the Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) ward at PIMS which resulted in the deaths of 14 newborn babies.

Following an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister’s House following the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed strong displeasure over the tragedy and immediately suspended Health Secretary Aslam Ghori, ordering him to leave the meeting.

The prime minister also directed Health Minister Mustafa Kamal to immediately visit PIMS, assess the situation, and submit a preliminary report.

Inquiry Committee and Terms of Reference

To conduct a transparent and thorough investigation the Prime Minister’s Office issued an official notification establishing a high-level inquiry committee.

Former federal secretary Shahid Khan has been appointed as the chairman of the committee. Its members include retired Major General Dr. Khurshid Utra, Establishment Secretary Dr. Barrister Nabeel Ahmed Awan, and the Islamabad deputy commissioner

The committee has been tasked with clear terms of reference to ensure accountability and prevent future tragedies:

• Determine the immediate trigger of the fire.
• Map out a precise timeline of the event.
• Review the response and rescue operations conducted by hospital staff, the fire brigade and Rescue 1122
• Examine whether emergency standard operating procedures for evacuating high risk neonates were properly followed.
• Conduct a detailed review of PIMS’ fire-safety infrastructure and identify any individual negligence or administrative lapses.

The committee is required to submit an interim report with immediate recommendations within 48 hours, followed by a comprehensive final report within five days.

Separate fact finding teams are also examining local safety compliance as families mourn the loss of the infants.