PM Sets Three-Month Deadline for PIMS Reforms and Fire Safety Measures
- PM Shehbaz directs PIMS to implement short-term inquiry recommendations and meet international fire safety standards within three months.
- A performance audit finds compliance of just 39.7%, against an acceptable target of 90%.
- The premier orders a Polyclinic audit and fire safety checks at public and private hospitals and buildings across Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday gave authorities three months to implement short-term reforms and fire safety measures at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), following an inquiry into the nursery fire that killed 14 newborns.
وزیراعظم محمد شہباز شریف کی زیرِ صدارت پمز ہسپتال کی بہتری کے لیے لائحہ عمل پر اجلاس
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 16, 2026
اجلاس کو وزارتِ قومی صحت کی جانب سے پمز ہسپتال کی بہتری اور اسے بین الاقوامی معیار سے ہم آہنگ کرنے کے لیے اقدامات پر بریفنگ دی گئی۔ اجلاس کو بتایا گیا کہ پمز ہسپتال کی پرفارمینس آڈٹ میں جانچ… pic.twitter.com/0xTUF9zgoF
Chairing a meeting to review the hospital’s improvement plan, the prime minister directed officials to carry out the inquiry report’s short-term recommendations within the deadline and take all possible steps to bring the facility up to international standards.
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The meeting examined both the fire inquiry report and a performance audit conducted by the Ministry of National Health Services. Officials informed the prime minister that PIMS achieved only 39.7% compliance across the indicators assessed, substantially below the acceptable target of 90%.
Participants were told that immediate implementation of 37 measures proposed in the inquiry report was being ensured. They also received a briefing on short-, medium- and long-term improvements planned for the hospital.
Shehbaz directed authorities to seek technical assistance and proposals from the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) for improvements to the hospital’s fire safety systems. He also instructed them to ensure implementation of the recommendations contained in the World Health Organisation’s report.
The prime minister said the action plan must include arrangements to provide medicines and other facilities entirely free of charge to patients. He also called for the deployment of reputable professionals and the preparation of a comprehensive long-term plan to improve PIMS.
The directives came a day after a comprehensive inquiry identified an electrical fault in the supply cable of air conditioner number two as the most probable cause of the nursery fire. The inquiry attributed the scale of the tragedy to systemic and institutional failures.
According to the report, flames became visible at approximately 6:38am, and dense smoke filled the nursery within one to two minutes, leaving an exceptionally limited window for rescue.
The Capital Emergency Service was notified at 6:54am, 16 minutes after the fire became visible. The inquiry committee identified this delay as a major concern in the emergency timeline, while noting that the service responded within minutes of receiving confirmed notification.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Shehbaz also ordered an audit of Polyclinic hospital to identify and address irregularities and directed officials to develop a restructuring plan for the facility.
He instructed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to enforce fire safety measures at all government and private hospitals in Islamabad. The CDA and other relevant institutions were also directed to conduct fire safety audits of public and private buildings and ensure the necessary safeguards were implemented.
Federal ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar and Syed Mustafa Kamal attended the meeting, along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath and relevant senior officials.
