Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and acting Federal Health Secretary Capt (r) Muhammad Mahmood to sit at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on alternate days and personally oversee medical, administrative and patient-care matters after the nursery fire that killed 14 newborns.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting on the health sector chaired by the prime minister, where key matters were reviewed and several decisions were made, according to an official statement.
Under the arrangement, the health minister and acting health secretary will visit and sit at PIMS on alternate days. The minister will directly monitor medical affairs and healthcare delivery, while the acting secretary will oversee administrative and medical matters.
The move is aimed at ensuring direct political and administrative supervision of the country’s largest federal public-sector hospital, which has come under intense scrutiny after the August 26 fire in the neonatal nursery of the Mother and Child Health Centre.
The fire killed 14 of the 15 newborns present in the nursery. An interim inquiry could not conclusively establish the source of ignition, but said an internal electrical or equipment-related failure remained plausible.
It identified serious shortcomings in fire-safety arrangements, emergency exits, evacuation planning, emergency notification, firefighting preparedness, staff attendance and coordination between hospital departments and security personnel.
Following the inquiry, the prime minister approved the suspension of eight officials, including PIMS Executive Director Prof Dr Rana Imran Sikandar, joint executive directors, senior neonatal department officials, a security official and the head of the CDA’s emergency services.
Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri was also removed from his post in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. Capt (r) Muhammad Mahmood, a BS-21 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, was subsequently given additional charge of the health secretary’s post for three months or until the appointment of a regular incumbent.
Mahmood had earlier set up a tent office on the PIMS premises to directly monitor the hospital’s functioning, address administrative problems and hear complaints from patients and staff. The new arrangement will bring both the minister and the acting secretary into the hospital regularly.
The decision reflects the government’s concern that PIMS’ problems extend beyond the fire tragedy. The hospital has long faced criticism over weak governance, fragmented administrative control, staff shortages, poor maintenance, delayed procurement, security issues and disputes involving employees and professional groups.
The government is also considering wider reforms, including the establishment of an independent board of governors for PIMS to improve governance and accountability. Officials have said a lasting governance structure may require legislation by parliament.
The prime minister has directed that those responsible for the nursery fire face departmental as well as criminal proceedings, while immediate measures are taken to prevent similar tragedies at PIMS and other public hospitals.