Fire safety gaps expose children hospitals to tragedy

KARACHI:

Serious shortcomings have been reported at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and the KMC-run Sobharaj Maternity Hospital, raising concerns over the safety of patients, newborns, women and hospital staff.

Sources said several fire extinguishers at NICH were faulty and had not been properly tested or monitored for a long period. Doctors, nurses and other staff had also not received fire safety drills or formal training during the past decade, while the hospital reportedly lacked an effective fire alarm system and some emergency exits were kept locked. The hospital has witnessed two major fire incidents in the past six years. In January 2020, a newborn died after an incubator caught fire. On June 30, 2026, a fire broke out in the paediatric medical ward on the third floor.