Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) had been repeatedly warned over inadequate fire safety arrangements for more than 10 years, with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) issuing at least five notices and repeatedly seeking corrective measures before Wednesday’s devastating blaze killed 14 newborn babies at the hospital’s Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Centre.
Records show the CDA’s fire safety authorities had been raising concerns over fire prevention and protection arrangements at the federal government’s largest tertiary-care hospital since at least 2012, repeatedly asking the administration to install recommended fire safety equipment and address deficiencies identified during inspections.
The warnings have assumed significance following Wednesday morning’s fire on the third floor of the MCH Centre, where 15 newborn babies were present in the affected nursery. Fourteen died while one baby was rescued.
According to the district administration, six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances participated in the rescue operation. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the blaze, circumstances leading to the deaths and responsibility for any lapses.
A letter issued by the CDA’s Capital Emergency Service, Fire Headquarters, shows that its inspection teams had conducted several emergency audits at PIMS and repeatedly communicated the status of fire prevention and protection arrangements to the hospital administration.
The CDA said recommendations for installation of necessary fire protection equipment had been communicated to PIMS for compliance, but it had not received comprehensive acknowledgement regarding implementation of the measures.
The record shows that notices were issued to PIMS on June 28, 2012, February 15, 2018, May 17, 2018, August 8, 2023 and May 9, 2024, while a follow-up inspection was carried out on December 23, 2024.
Following the inspection, the CDA again asked the PIMS administration to expedite installation of the recommended fire safety equipment to prevent any untoward situation in case of a fire.
Citing the Islamabad Fire Prevention and Life Safety Regulations 2010, the authority warned that failure to comply with fire safety requirements could result in action and fines under the relevant regulations.
More significantly, the CDA told the hospital administration that recommendations required to make the premises safe had already been communicated and warned that further delay in their implementation would be considered deliberate.
It also made it clear that the authority would bear no liability in the event of a disaster or fire resulting from delays on the part of the PIMS administration.
The warnings indicate that concerns over fire preparedness at PIMS were neither new nor confined to the building where Wednesday’s tragedy occurred.
A separate inquiry into an earlier fire at a PIMS hostel had also identified serious weaknesses in fire investigation, security, emergency response and preservation of evidence.
In that incident, an electrical short circuit was initially cited as a possible cause after an LED light was reportedly said to have fallen onto a sofa. The subsequent inquiry, however, found no scientific or technical evidence to conclusively establish the origin of the fire.
The committee found that no electrical inspection report had been produced, no fire brigade report was available and no engineering assessment had been conducted. The maintenance history of electrical installations was also not provided.
Investigators further found that photographs of the scene and forensic evidence had not been preserved, preventing the committee from conclusively determining whether the fire resulted from an electrical failure, accidental ignition, human negligence or a deliberate act.
The inquiry also raised questions over emergency and security arrangements, observing that security personnel were not physically present at the hostel when the fire was first detected.
Although security guards maintained that they had been patrolling the adjoining area and reached the hostel after receiving information by telephone, the committee noted that the initial response came from hostel residents and the cook rather than designated security personnel.
The report also recorded that some residents remained inside during the initial evacuation, the main gate was locked and evacuation initially took place through the mess area. The committee observed that routine patrols could not substitute for continuous security coverage during late-night hours.
The CDA’s repeated warnings over more than 10 years and findings of the previous PIMS fire inquiry have now brought the hospital’s overall fire preparedness under scrutiny following the deaths of 14 newborns.
Besides establishing the immediate cause of Wednesday’s blaze, investigators will have to determine whether the fire safety deficiencies repeatedly pointed out by the CDA were rectified, whether the recommended equipment was installed and functional, and whether any failure in fire prevention, detection or emergency response contributed to the loss of life.