By Umaid Ali
Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) remained without an Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) licence and was not inspected by the regulator for the previous two years before the neonatal nursery fire that killed 14 newborns, the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services was told on Monday.
The disclosure by IHRA’s acting chief executive officer Dr. Rutaba during the committee’s meeting at PIMS raised fresh questions about regulatory oversight of Pakistan’s largest federal public hospital, days after the August 26 fire at the Maternal and Child Health Centre.
The committee, chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, was convened at PIMS with the fire as its sole agenda item. Members offered prayers for the children who died and visited the site of the incident before receiving briefings from hospital, health ministry and regulatory officials.
PIMS officials played CCTV footage of the incident for the committee. Several senators, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the material shown and said the footage should be independently examined.
Senator Nasir Butt said he was not convinced by the footage presented by the hospital administration. Senator Rubina Khalid said video forensic experts were examining the footage, while Senator Masroor Ahsan raised concerns during the meeting about preservation of evidence at the scene.
The committee was also provided the interim report of the inquiry committee constituted by the prime minister after the fire. The report has not conclusively determined whether the blaze began in an incubator, warmer, air-conditioner, plug, socket, wiring or another source.
It said an internal electrical or equipment-related failure remained plausible, as IESCO records showed no fault or tripping on the external feeder. The report identified prima facie deficiencies in fire safety arrangements, emergency exits, evacuation planning, staffing, emergency alerts, security coordination and implementation of responsibilities.
Fifteen newborns were present in the affected nursery when the fire became visible at around 6:38am on August 26. Fourteen died, largely from smoke and soot inhalation injuries, while one baby was rescued.
During the Senate meeting, Chairman Chishti asked when IHRA had issued PIMS a licence and whether the regulator had inspected the hospital. The acting IHRA chief executive officer informed the committee that PIMS had not been inspected during the past two years.
The committee was further told that PIMS had not been issued an IHRA licence. Members questioned how a hospital treating a large number of critically ill patients, including newborns, could remain outside the regulator’s licensing and inspection process.
Senator Rubina Khalid asked IHRA officials when PIMS had last been inspected and why the authority had failed to assess the hospital’s compliance with licensing and safety requirements. Senator Masroor Ahsan asked what conditions were required for licensing a hospital and questioned the regulatory system’s effectiveness.
The committee also discussed the governance of IHRA. Senator Ahsan questioned the appointment of a person associated with private healthcare and medical education to head a public healthcare regulatory body, while Senator Khalid termed it a possible conflict-of-interest concern.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal told the committee that IHRA did not operate under the direct administrative control of the health ministry, and that its board had been constituted after cabinet approval in 2024. He said the authority’s chairman was no longer in office after his resignation was obtained the previous night.
The minister said he had learned after the nursery fire that a separate fire had occurred at the PIMS Female Nursing Hostel around a month earlier. He said the health ministry had not been informed about that incident, although it was mentioned in the interim inquiry report.
Kamal said that when he questioned the former executive director of PIMS, he was told that the ministry had not been formally informed about the earlier fire. He said he had received differing accounts about the suspected cause of the nursery blaze, including one suggesting that a spark from an air-conditioner triggered it.
The minister said the inquiry committee had also referred to the earlier PIMS fire. The interim report had noted that hospital management did not adequately act on deficiencies identified after the nursing hostel incident, which occurred around seven weeks before the neonatal nursery blaze.
Kamal described PIMS as operating under a “dysfunctional” management system, saying its rules restricted the appointment of the executive director to serving PIMS staff. He said the rules had to be relaxed for the appointment of a new executive director and called for reforms to give hospital management stronger powers over recruitment, discipline and suspension of staff.
The committee summoned the chairman of the Capital Development Authority, whose role includes building-control and civic functions in Islamabad. It also expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of IHRA, CDA and Civil Defence in relation to hospital safety and oversight.
The health minister suggested that the prime minister’s inquiry committee be called before the Senate panel for a detailed briefing, saying it had the most complete information available about the fire. Chairman Chishti said the purpose of the committee’s proceedings was to identify gaps and prevent similar tragedies at PIMS and other healthcare facilities.
Ends