‘No one can understand the pain:’ Fire in maternity ward kills at least 14 newborn babies in Pakistan’s capital

Fourteen Newborns Lost in Islamabad Hospital Fire as Rescue Efforts Stalled by Locked Gates

Goldlaner.com – One of the most devastating hospital disasters in Pakistan’s recent history unfolded on a Wednesday morning when flames consumed a maternity ward at the Pakistan Institute for Medical Sciences, killing at least 14 newborn infants. The blaze erupted near 7 a.m. local time inside the nursery unit of PIMS, the country’s largest government-operated hospital, situated in the capital Islamabad. Rescue personnel later confirmed that only one of the sixteen babies present in the ward was pulled to safety.

The ignition source, according to multiple rescue sources, was an explosion in an air conditioning compressor unit located within the nursery itself. The sudden burst of heat and smoke trapped infants and caregivers in a space where, witnesses said, doors were found locked from the outside.

What Survivors and Families Told Reporters

Outside the hospital’s perimeter, a father whose three-day-old infant perished in the flames spoke to journalists with visible anguish.

“No one can understand the pain I’m going through,” he said.

Among those who escaped was a woman identified as Muneeba, who had been visiting family members admitted to the facility. She described the chaotic moments as smoke began filling corridors and explained how she managed to get her nephew and sister-in-law out before conditions worsened.

“Thank God our baby is safe,” she said.

Rescue Complications: Closed Gates and Misdirected Responders

The timeline of the emergency response has drawn sharp scrutiny. Two sources connected to Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) stated that hospital authorities shut the facility’s main gates immediately after the fire began, delaying the entry of rescue crews. The reason for the closure was not made explicit, though in past emergencies the hospital has sealed its complex to prevent surges of anxious relatives and visitors from flooding patient areas.

Rescue units arrived at the main gate within six minutes of being dispatched at 6:54 a.m., the CDA sources indicated. However, opening the gates required additional time and ultimately the intervention of local traffic police. Once inside, first responders were reportedly given the wrong location of the fire by hospital security staff, further consuming precious minutes.

A hospital spokesperson pushed back against the gate-closure allegations, labeling them “factually incorrect.” Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, when pressed on the specific claims, responded:

“I am not aware of any such thing; however, an inquiry is going on which will determine the facts.”

Government Response and Accountability

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described himself as “deeply saddened by this tragic incident” and extended condolences to the bereaved families. He directed an immediate investigation into the cause and circumstances of the fire, pledged “strict action against anyone found responsible,” and moved swiftly to suspend Aslam Ghauri, a senior official in the federal health department.

In the national assembly, member Sharmila Sahibah Faruqui took to social media to condemn what she called a preventable catastrophe.

“Heads must roll. Please do not hide behind another inquiry committee,” she wrote. “Those responsible must be taken to task.”

A System Under Strain

Pakistan’s medical landscape is split between private clinics and public hospitals. State-run facilities, which serve the majority of the population that cannot afford private care, have long been criticized for chronic underfunding, staffing shortages, aging electrical infrastructure, and inadequate emergency preparedness. The PIMS campus, sprawling across a large tract of land in the capital, describes its own mission as aspiring to become “a premier research-intensive medical university that will educate medical students, paramedics, and postdoctoral fellows in accordance with international professional standards.” The gap between that ambition and the reality of a nursery ward where locked doors and a compressor explosion proved fatal has intensified public anger.

Islamand hosts the country’s political and military leadership, and its hospitals are generally expected to meet higher standards than those in smaller cities. That expectation makes the PIMS tragedy feel especially stark to residents who associate the capital with superior public services.

A Pattern of Fire-Related Deaths

Hospital and public-building fires are not isolated incidents in Pakistan. Outdated wiring, insufficient fire-suppression systems, and overcrowding have contributed to repeated disasters. Earlier this year, a massive blaze at a shopping center in Karachi claimed at least 67 lives. In June 2022, a fire at a children’s hospital in Lahore destroyed thousands of dollars’ worth of pharmaceutical stock, according to local media at the time. Each event has prompted promises of inquiry and reform, yet the underlying infrastructure deficits persist.

For the families of the fourteen infants lost at PIMS, the question now is whether the investigation ordered by the prime minister will yield answers that translate into accountability, or whether it will follow the familiar pattern of a committee report filed away while the next ward continues to operate under the same conditions.