August 26, 2026
By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD
Fourteen to fifteen (14 to 15) newborn babies died of suffocation and severe burns, while doctors safely rescued one child, after a nursery caught fire at the PIMS Hospital in Islamabad.
The tragic incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday, August 26, when a fire broke out in the nursery and gynecology ward of the Mother and Child Health (MCH) Centre at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital.
According to the Federal Health Minister and hospital administration, an air conditioner (AC) exploded on the third floor in the nursery ward at around 6:45 AM. The fire, caused by the short circuit and explosion, spread rapidly due to the presence of oxygen cylinders in the ward. But the 15 to 16 newborns present on incubators and oxygen support in the ward could not survive the inferno. Initial details say that the fire broke out due to a compressor burst.
According to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) report, the emergency exit doors of the hospital were also locked.
Taking notice of the incident, the Prime Minister immediately removed the Health Secretary from his post.
A 5-member inquiry committee has been set up by PIMS administration to investigate the incident. The committee will prepare the tragedy report within 48 hours. Professor Umar Farooq will head the committee. Other members of the committee include Dr. Aneeza Jaleel, Dr. Mutahir Shah, Dr. Sadia Nisar, and Dr. Sharjeel Zaheer. The committee will examine the evidence and submit its recommendations.
District administration report on incident
According to the report, the fire broke out on the third floor of the MCH Ward of PIMS Hospital. Immediately upon receiving information about the fire, rescue teams reached the site with six fire brigade vehicles and four ambulances. The report said that the rescuers set about in controlling the fire immediately, and the remaining children were swiftly shifted to the ICU.
Tragically, a total of 14 children were completely burnt in the accident.
A committee headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner General has been formed to inquire into the incident. The inquiry committee will determine the causes of the fire.
Capital Emergency Service and CDA report
Capital Rescue submitted its report on the fire incident at PIMS Hospital, Islamabad.
According to the report, the Capital Emergency Service (CES) and CDA Fire Department acted promptly on receiving information about the fire at the MCH Centre of PIMS Hospital early this morning and brought the fire under control.
The fire emergency call was received at 6:45 AM, after which fire brigade and rescue teams arrived at the scene within just seven minutes. The situation was declared a fire emergency by the fire brigade, which controlled the fire in a timely manner using two fire trucks.
Capital Rescue rescued a total of 19 individuals from the site of the fire. The report said that at the time of the rescue, seven children had already died, while rescue personnel extracted seven survivors (babies) from the nursery. Separately, Capital Rescue also rescued two boys. They noted that the firefighting equipment in the hospital was inadequate and compromised: All emergency evacuation routes in the hospital were locked. The hospital’s security staff created hurdles in the rescue work, and crowd management was not conducted by the hospital side.
PM meeting on incident
A high-level meetimg was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The Prime Minister expressed severe indignation at the concerned officials. The Prime Minister immediately suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri and removed him from his post. The Prime Minister formed a high-level inquiry committee for investigation. Former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan will head the committee, while other members include Establishment Secretary Dr. Barrister Nabeel Awan.
Hospital’s internal inquiry committee starts work
The hospital’s internal inquiry committee, along with personnel from the forensic agency, visited the nursery ward. The forensic agency collected evidence from the nursery ward. The forensic agency also examined the fire extinguishers and other safety equipment. The forensic agency further inspected the power distribution system, oxygen supply line, and other components. The forensic agency will review all evidence samples and submit its report to the district administration. The report will guide the district administration in determining those responsible.
District Administration Committee
An eight member inquiry committee has been formed by the district administration to investigate the incident further. The committee will be headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner General. The committee includes the DG of Capital Emergency Services and SP City, alongside Assistant Commissioner I-9 and DG CDA. Officials from IESCO and PIMS Hospital have also been included in the committee. After conducting the investigation, the inquiry committee will present its report within 24 hours.
Details of the deceased children
According to hospital documents, 15 children were undergoing treatment, out of which only one child was rescued.
Among the deceased children: Newborn of Javeria, father’s name Samiullah; Newborn of Aalia, father’s name Rashid; Newborn child of Anees Khalid, father’s name Abdullah; Twin newborns of Aasiya Bibi, father’s name Bahadur; Newborn of Shakila, father’s name Muhammad Tanveer; Newborn of Sidra, father’s name Imran; Newborn of Sumbul, father’s name Usman; Newborn of Kiran Fatima, father’s name Muhammad Saad ur Rehman; Newborn of Amna, father’s name Khurram; Newborn of Maria, father’s name Qayyum; Newborn of Khizra, father’s name Mudassar; Newborn of Hafsa (MLC case), father’s name Ishtiaq; Newborn of Arooma Saeed, father’s name Idrees Khan. One newborn of Asifa and Waqas, was rescued.
PIMS administration failed to repair ACs on regular basis
Documents of works carried out during 2025 to 2026 have come to light after the incident.
According to them, on August 22, 2026, PIMS hospital administration issued tenders worth 2 million for chillers, UPS, and other equipment. PIMS administration allocated 1.35 million for 120 kW UPS items. However, ACs and electronic equipment of the hospital’s Gynae ward had not been repaired for a whole year.
Firefighting equipment installed in PIMS hospital also turned out to be dysfunctional, which Civil Defence failed to replace. In June 23, 2026, tenders for PIMS medical gases and allied items were issued.
In December 2025, PIMS administration issued tenders for the repair of the HVAC system, boiler system, vehicles, furniture, and store items.
Executive Director PIMS Rana Imran Sikandar said that two doctors, four nurses, and other staff were present in the ICU, and one doctor managed to also save a newborn’s life. However he specified that due to past incidents of child abduction, entry was restricted in the ward.
He added that there had been a ‘satisfactory fire system present in the hospital’. However if anyone is found guilty, they will be punished, he said.
“Twenty four (24) oxygen cylinders were present, and rescue teams faced no hindrance during operations,” he said.
Emergency fire drills had not been held in years
It has also been revealed that no emergency fire drills were conducted at PIMS Hospital for years.
Fire safety drills train the medical staff to save their own lives as well as patients’ lives. But after Wednesday’s incident, administrative negligence has surfaced at Islamabad’s largest government hospital.
Meanwhile, according to sources, an excessive number of old oxygen cylinders in the hospital also contributed to the spread of the fire.
While the emrgency exists were all under lock, the hospital’s alarm system also failed to operate in a timely manner. Private hospitals mandatorily train staff every 6 months, but in PIMS where hundreds of patients remain under treatment across various departments, there wasno such training, or any coordinated plan in place for the protection of patients and staff during emergency situations.
More details will emerge after the inquiry committee will submit its report.