Pakistan's prime minister orders implementation of recommendations after hospital fire
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed that the short-term recommendations of the investigation into the fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad be implemented within three months. He issued the instruction on September 16 during a meeting on a plan to improve the hospital's operations, Dawn reports.
The fire occurred on August 26 in the neonatal ward of the mother and child hospital that is part of PIMS. Fourteen newborns died. Following the incident, criminal action was ordered against eight officials.
Measures for the hospital
The meeting reviewed the report of the investigative commission and the results of an audit of the hospital's operations conducted by the Ministry of National Health Services. Shehbaz Sharif called for all possible measures to be taken to improve the medical facility and bring it into compliance with international requirements.
The prime minister instructed officials to contact the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre for assistance and recommendations regarding the fire safety system. The action plan must also include measures to provide medicines and services at the hospital free of charge.
In addition, the head of government instructed that employees with a strong professional reputation be recruited to work at the hospital and that a comprehensive plan be prepared on the basis of the commission's long-term recommendations.
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Investigation findings
According to the audit, PIMS' level of compliance with the assessed indicators was only 39.7%. The meeting was told that the immediate implementation of 37 proposed measures was being ensured. Short-, medium- and long-term steps to improve the medical facility's operations were also presented.
The commission was established on the day of the fire, and on September 16 it submitted a 43-page report. It was headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan. In the commission's view, the most likely cause of the fire was a localized malfunction of electrical equipment: abnormal local heating could have damaged insulation and ignited nearby combustible materials.
The report also refers to systemic and institutional shortcomings in hospital management. The commission noted that warnings about risks, including after a fire in the PIMS nurses' hostel, had not been turned before the fire in the neonatal ward into a comprehensive, time-bound and independently verified programme to address shortcomings.
Shehbaz Sharif separately instructed that an audit of the Polyclinic hospital be conducted to examine violations and that a plan for its restructuring be prepared. The Capital Development Authority must ensure fire safety measures in all public and private hospitals in Islamabad, as well as conduct relevant audits of offices and buildings.
