A video of a firefighting drill at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has gone viral, raising fresh concerns about the hospital’s emergency preparedness following last month’s tragic fire that claimed the lives of 14 newborns.
According to reports, the drill was conducted after the August 26 fire at the PIMS Mother and Child Hospital nursery. In the video, hospital staff can be seen attempting to extinguish a controlled fire using multiple fire extinguishers, but the flames reportedly continued despite the cylinders being emptied. The incident has raised questions about the effectiveness and condition of the firefighting equipment being used at the hospital.
Reports quoting journalist Ijaz Cheema alleged that the firefighting cylinders used during the exercise contained substandard or ineffective gas. The allegation has not been independently established, but the footage has intensified public scrutiny of PIMS’ fire-safety arrangements and emergency response capabilities.
The concerns come after a devastating fire in the PIMS neonatal nursery on August 26, in which 14 of the 15 newborns present died. A government inquiry subsequently identified serious shortcomings in fire-safety preparedness, emergency evacuation planning, firefighting arrangements and staff training. The precise technical cause of the fire remains unresolved.
The National Assembly’s health committee has also questioned the availability and functioning of fire-safety systems at PIMS and sought records relating to fire-safety audits, equipment, emergency training and mock drills. The latest viral footage has therefore added to growing demands for stronger safety measures and accountability at the hospital.
