Death toll from Islamabad PIMS nursery fire rises to 15 as lone surviving infant passes away

The death toll from the catastrophic fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) rose to 15 on Thursday, after the only infant rescued alive from the August 26 blaze passed away following 22 days in intensive care.

Medical officials confirmed that the newborn baby girl succumbed to cardiac and respiratory arrest triggered by severe multi-organ failure.

What caused the surviving infant's death after weeks in intensive care?

Admitted to the PIMS intensive care unit immediately following her rescue on August 26, the baby girl's condition steadily deteriorated despite round-the-clock emergency medical intervention.

According to hospital death records, the infant developed severe secondary complications, including sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and pulmonary hemorrhage resulting from toxic smoke inhalation.

The infant was pulled from the smoke-engulfed Maternal and Child Health (MCH) ward during the initial outbreak by staff nurse Razia Noreen, who was later approved for the Tamgha-i-Shujaat civil award and recognized by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for her bravery. Despite her rescue, medical teams were ultimately unable to reverse the progression of multi-organ failure.

What were the key findings of the official inquiry into the PIMS fire?

The final inquiry report submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attributed the August 26 disaster—which initially killed 14 newborns—to "systemic and institutional failures" by PIMS management.

Key findings from forensic and government investigations highlighted critical safety breakdowns:

• Electrical Fault Origin: Forensic analysis by the National Forensic Agency identified an electrical cable defect in air conditioning unit #2 as the probable cause of ignition, compounded by high oxygen levels and combustible materials in the ward.
• Overcrowding & Lack of Protocols: The 10-bed neonatal unit held 15 fragile, oxygen-dependent infants with only two nurses and two doctors on duty. The inquiry noted a complete absence of formally approved standard operating procedures (SOPs) or evacuation drills for newborns.
• Administrative Action: Prime Minister Sharif ordered the suspension of senior officials and initiated criminal proceedings for negligence. The government also mandated a three-month safety overhaul across public and private health facilities in Islamabad.

Civil society organizations and grieving families continue to demand strict legal prosecution against responsible administrators, citing repeated unheeded warnings regarding hospital electrical infrastructure.