The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given the federal government two weeks to respond to petitions over last month’s fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), in which 14 newborn babies died.
Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar ordered the federation to submit para-wise comments on the petitions, which challenge the inquiry into the fire and seek the removal of the hospital’s executive director, Dawn reported. The case will be heard again in two weeks.
The fire
The fire broke out on 26 August in the nursery of the Mother and Child Health (MCH) ward at PIMS, Islamabad’s largest public hospital. Fourteen newborns died.
The inquiry found that the most likely cause was an electrical failure.
‘Too many safeguards were absent’
A 43-page inquiry report, completed on 15 September, concluded that the deaths were the result of “systemic and institutional failure” rather than a single mistake.
“Fourteen newborns were lost not because one safeguard failed, but because too many safeguards were absent, weak, delayed or never verified,” the report said.
Action so far
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended eight hospital officials and ordered criminal proceedings against them after the inquiry.
In court, Additional Attorney General Rashid Hafeez said “the inquiry into the matter was nearing completion and orders from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were awaited.”
Who went to court
The petitions were filed by Nasir Azeem, Nasir Mujahid and Dr Mohammad Iqbal. They are asking the court to:
- Examine the process by which the inquiry was carried out
- Order the removal of the PIMS executive director
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 26 August | Fire in the MCH nursery at PIMS; 14 newborns die |
| 15 September | 43-page inquiry report finds “systemic and institutional failure” |
| After the report | PM suspends eight officials, orders criminal proceedings |
| 29 September | IHC gives federation two weeks to respond to petitions |
A question of accountability
The case turns on who should be held responsible when a public hospital fails the patients in its care. The inquiry’s findings point to a system in which safety measures were missing or were never checked, and the petitioners want accountability to reach the top of the hospital’s management rather than stopping with the officials already suspended.
For the families of the 14 babies, the court case is one of the few ways left to press for answers about how a hospital nursery could catch fire with such devastating results.
Other health news
Separately, a study released on World Heart Day found that Pakistani women have the highest heart disease death rate in South Asia, with doctors pointing to gaps in the country’s care network.
What happens next
The federal government must file its comments within two weeks, after which the IHC will hear the petitions again. The prime minister’s orders on the final inquiry are also awaited.
Why it matters
Fourteen babies died in a place that should have been safe. The inquiry has already found that the hospital’s safeguards failed at many levels. What the court and the government do next will decide whether that finding leads to real accountability and to changes that make hospital nurseries across the country safer.
This article draws on reporting by Dawn.
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