Nurse Rescues Sole Infant Survivor of Fatal Hospital Fire in Islamabad

A fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad killed 14 newborn babies on August 26, with a single infant rescued by a duty nurse. Staff nurse Razia Noreen received an award for bravery from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif eight days after the incident, which destroyed the hospital’s nursery ward within minutes.

The disaster has drawn attention to safety conditions and staffing levels at Islamabad’s largest public-sector hospital, where two nurses and two doctors were on duty overseeing 15 newborns when the blaze began.

Timeline of the Blaze

At 6:38 a.m. on Wednesday, August 26, Noreen was preparing morning injections at a medicine cabinet near the nursery when she noticed an unusually bright red light through a glass panel. Security camera timestamps recorded by an official inquiry committee show Noreen rushing into the nursery at 6:38:56 a.m.

Eight seconds later, Noreen emerged carrying a baby, whom she passed to Dr. Abdul Rehman in the corridor. Noreen attempted to go back inside to save more of the infants, but dense smoke blinded the security cameras by 6:40 a.m. Noreen, alongside Sister Nasreen and Dr. Rimsha, attempted to crawl through the smoke beneath the heat, but a sudden power outage plunged the ward into darkness. Noreen recalled that “there was a proper blast” before smoke engulfed the room.

Rescue Efforts and Official Findings

Blocked from re-entering the primary nursery, the medical team moved to assist a separate rescue crew lowering babies from an adjoining gynaecology ward. Staff caught the infants and carried them to the neonatal intensive care unit until heavy smoke forced them to evacuate the area.

An interim government inquiry submitted on August 28 stated that available evidence “does not support generalised allegations” that healthcare staff had abandoned the newborns. The inquiry noted that the exact cause of the fire “is not yet conclusively established,” listing an air conditioner, an incubator, or an electrical short circuit as potential triggers. Noreen stated she saw flames originating from the side of an air-conditioning unit inside the room.

Staffing Conditions and Background

At the time of the fire, Noreen and Sister Nasreen were the only two nurses on duty in the nursery. Noreen noted that such staffing ratios were normal for the facility, with two nurses frequently responsible for 20 to 25 infants, while doctors on the ward work 36-hour shifts.

Noreen, 38, has worked as a government nurse for 21 years, including 17 years at PIMS. Originally from Sahiwal in Punjab province, she has lived in the PIMS staff hostel across from the ward for most of her tenure at the hospital.

Background

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences is the primary public healthcare facility serving Islamabad. Public hospitals in Pakistan frequently manage high patient volumes and intensive care workloads, relying on shift rotations that can cover dozens of patients per medical team.