Govt announces Rs5m compensation for each family of PIMS fire victims

The federal government on Thursday announced financial compensation of Rs5 million each for the families of newborn babies who died in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, PTV News reported.

Fourteen newborn babies were killed on Wednesday after a fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital ward.

Following the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif suspended Health Secretary Aslam Ghori and constituted an inquiry committee headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan.

According to a statement posted on X by PTV News, the government said it “shares the grief and sorrow of the affected families equally”.

“Financial compensation is no substitute for precious human lives,” the statement said.

It added that the deceased children could not be brought back and described the financial assistance as an “attempt to reduce the difficulties of the grieving families and provide some relief in their grief”.

“The government will provide all possible support and assistance to the affected families,” it added.

Read: 'Give me my child back': Mother mourns infant lost in PIMS fire

A fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital at PIMS. Fifteen newborns were in the ward at the time. Fourteen suffered severe burns and later died, while one child survived and was rescued. The deaths have renewed scrutiny of fire-safety measures at healthcare facilities, including the availability of firefighting equipment, emergency exits and hospitals’ preparedness to respond to such emergencies.

Witnesses described chaotic and harrowing scenes, including intense smoke and broken glass, a slow response from emergency services and guards reportedly preventing them from leaving the ward.

PIMS Spokeswoman Aneeza Jalil told AFP an electrical fault caused the fire, and "fire sparked from the AC".

Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often due to poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement.

In January, more than 70 people were killed in a shopping centre fire in the port city of Karachi.