WHERE does one begin? The mind goes first to the parents of the 14 newborns who died early on January 26 in the Mother and Child Health Ward of Islamabad’s Pims Hospital. The heart falters at the sheer scale of their loss.
Their grief is shared across the country by people still struggling to comprehend how a tragedy of this magnitude was allowed to happen, and who must be held responsible. Multiple explanations have been offered for the fire: a short circuit, a spark, or an explosion involving an air-conditioning unit or its compressor. And every aspect of this incident unveils a new tragedy.
Officials say the purified oxygen that should have been a lifeline for infants in respiratory distress instead accelerated the blaze dramatically. Within moments, the resulting inferno claimed the lives of 14 of the 15 babies in the ward.
Eyewitnesses and parents described chaos: thick black smoke, shattered glass, locked or restricted doors, delayed rescue, and a near-total absence of proper evacuation protocols or functional fire-safety equipment. Some parents said they waited hours for help; official statements insisted fire tenders arrived within minutes of the emergency call. Rescue workers reported difficulty reaching the affected area.
Hospital officials later acknowledged that the ward was routinely kept locked to prevent the theft of newborns. Clearly, there was no contingency plan for an emergency of this nature. And that, itself, is a damning indictment of the state of public hospitals.
Equally frustrating has been the blame game that followed. Every stakeholder has been quick to point fingers even though few facts have been firmly established. The federal health secretary was swiftly suspended; scapegoated, many believe. But how far was he truly responsible? Is it fair, or even useful, to pin such disasters on individuals when the entire system remains broken? An inquiry committee has since been formed. That was necessary, and it is hoped that it will be able to diagnose the reasons that led to this tragedy. Yet, a much deeper reckoning is required.
Removing a few officials will not prevent the next hospital fire. Pims is the largest and most prominent public hospital in the federal capital. It is the place where ordinary Pakistanis turn to in sickness, injury, and the hope of new life. Public hospitals in a country as populous as Pakistan need sustained resources and consistent support if they are to deliver even a basic standard of care and safety. Whether Pims ever received that support is a question that its administrators should be expected to answer.
Until Pakistan stops chronically underspending on healthcare, the safety standards and quality of care in state-run hospitals cannot be expected to improve, and tragedies like this one will continue to claim lives. The bigger question is whether the authorities are ready to address that challenge.
Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2026.
