The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) nursery ward descended into chaos late Tuesday night as a fire broke out, forcing staff and parents to scramble to evacuate newborns. Newly surfaced CCTV footage shows thick smoke billowing through the corridors, with nurses and attendants rushing to move incubators to safety.
The fire, which reportedly started in an electrical panel due to a short circuit, sent shockwaves through the hospital’s pediatric wing. While the administration claims all 15 infants present in the ward were evacuated without injury, the footage paints a harrowing picture of the rescue effort. In the video, staff can be seen manually carrying incubators and oxygen-dependent infants through the smoke-filled hallway.
“It was pure panic,” said one father who arrived at the ward shortly after the alarms sounded. “I saw nurses running with babies in their arms. Nobody told us what was happening; we just heard screaming.”
Hospital officials have faced immediate backlash regarding safety protocols. Critics point to the outdated wiring within the decades-old building, suggesting the incident was preventable. The PIMS administration has launched an internal inquiry, though families of the patients remain skeptical of the outcome.
“We have ordered a full audit of all electrical systems in the hospital,” a spokesperson said, declining to comment on why previous maintenance reports had flagged the same ward for electrical hazards months ago.
For now, the nursery ward remains cordoned off as investigators inspect the damage. Parents are left waiting for updates on when the facility will be cleared for use again, while the hospital scrambles to manage its pediatric intake in a makeshift unit.
The incident leaves a lingering question for the health ministry: how many more “preventable” electrical fires will it take before the facility receives the infrastructure overhaul it has needed for years?
