The tragic deaths of 14 newborn babies in a fire at Islamabad’s PIMS Hospital have once again exposed the vulnerabilities of Pakistan’s public healthcare system, raising serious questions about fire safety, emergency preparedness and the ability of public hospitals to respond to disasters.
Hospitals are meant to save lives and provide treatment to the sick. The PIMS tragedy has highlighted how quickly a healthcare facility can become a site of devastation when safety systems fail and emergency responses prove inadequate. The incident has prompted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to reassess safety arrangements in public hospitals across the province.
On August 27, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi directed the Health Department to conduct a review of safety arrangements in all hospitals across the province. He ordered officials to reassess existing systems and SOPs to deal with fires, accidents and other emergencies. He also called for regular training and practical emergency drills for hospital staff. The chief minister directed the Health Department to complete fire safety inspections of all government hospitals and submit a report to the CM Secretariat.
Following his directives, the Health Department convened a meeting attended by representatives of Civil Defence, Rescue 1122, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the Relief Department, medical superintendents and district health officers.
The meeting reviewed fire safety arrangements, emergency preparedness, response mechanisms and existing fire safety protocols across the province. It was stressed that effective fire safety systems were essential not only for patients but also for attendants, doctors, nurses and other hospital employees.
Health Secretary Fayyaz Ali Shah ordered the formation of fire safety committees at the divisional and district levels to inspect hospitals and healthcare centres in the respective areas and submit reports on their preparedness within a week.
The News on Sunday sought answers from the administrations of three of Peshawar’s largest public-sector hospitals—Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex—that operate under the Medical Teaching Institution system regarding their safety preparedness.
Lady Reading Hospital
Located on the edge of Peshawar’s old city, Lady Reading Hospital is the province’s largest and one of its oldest teaching hospitals. Thousands of patients, attendants and employees pass through its buildings every day, making fire safety a particularly demanding challenge.
According to an LRH official, a Fire Safety Committee has been functioning at the hospital for nearly a decade. The hospital has witnessed six fire incidents in recent years in sensitive areas, including paediatrics, cardiology and gynaecology departments.
The administration says none of these incidents resulted in loss of life or major financial damages because the hospital’s Fire Safety Quick Response Force intervened promptly.
Hospital officials say, the QRF has received specialised training from Rescue 1122 and is activated immediately when a fire alarm is triggered or smoke is detected. Designated emergency exits and smoke detectors have been installed at various locations.
The officials say the existence of a trained quick-response team has helped prevent fires from escalating into major emergencies.
Muhammad Tariq Khan Barki, the LRH director, says comprehensive fire safety arrangements have been put in place to protect patients, attendants and employees.
“At least 550 fire extinguishers have been installed. Fire hydrants and other essential firefighting facilities are also available.”
“Trained staff are available to deal with emergency situations,” Barki says, adding that employees receive periodic training in fire safety and emergency response. He says fire safety equipment is regularly inspected and maintained to ensure that it remains operational.
Khyber Teaching Hospital
The Khyber Teaching Hospital has adopted a more structured approach to emergency preparedness. According to Sajjad Khan, media and protocol manager, the hospital is an ISO 9001:2015-certified facility where safety of patients, attendants and employees is treated as a priority. The hospital has established procedures for dealing with different types of emergencies.
“The KTH has 38 fire safety units, 56 emergency exits and more than 350 fire extinguishers, besides additional extinguishers kept as backup,” Khan says. An emergency response team is deployed during every shift, he says. Its members are trained in fire safety, firefighting and emergency response.
The hospital also has a formal MoU with Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Under the arrangement, Rescue 1122 experts periodically conduct practical training for hospital staff.
According to Khan, the hospital’s support staff has received fire safety training. Training for doctors and nurses is ongoing. Emergency exits, fire extinguishers and a dedicated water pipeline system for firefighting are available in wards and departments.
The hospital also has a mechanism for regular inspection and maintenance of firefighting equipment. The hospital, Khan says, ensures that its safety infrastructure remains functional.
Hayatabad Medical Complex
At the HMC, the PIMS tragedy has prompted the administration to undertake a fresh review of its fire safety arrangements.
According to Waseem Khattak, the HMC communications officer, a meeting was held to review fire safety and other protective measures at the medical complex and its affiliated institutions.
The meeting, chaired by Dr Gulzar Ahmad Khan, the hospital director, conducted a detailed assessment of the existing fire safety arrangements and agreed on a series of immediate measures to strengthen the system.
These include the inspection of fire extinguishers, fire alarm systems and other safety equipment installed across the hospital as well as the installation of additional extinguishers, modern alarm systems and emergency exit gates where required.
Electrical wiring, particularly in sensitive and high-risk areas, is being inspected to identify potential hazards and reduce the risk of fires.
The administration has directed that emergency exits remain clearly marked, accessible and free of obstructions at all times and that hospital staff undergo fire safety training and participate in emergency drills to improve their ability to respond to a crisis.
A special committee has also been constituted for HMC and its affiliated institutions to assess existing safety arrangements and identify gaps. The committee has been given 10 days to finalise its recommendations and prepare an action plan so that corrective measures can be initiated.
Dr Gulzar Ahmad Khan, the HMC hospital director, says the safety of patients, attendants and employees is their utmost priority. He says additional safety measures will be introduced wherever necessary.
Fire safety cannot be treated as an administrative formality. In hospitals, where patients may be critically ill, immobile or dependent on medical equipment, the ability to detect a fire or other emergency, raise an alarm and timely evacuate patients can mean the difference between life and death.
The real test for Peshawar’s public hospitals is not simply whether they have fire extinguishers, emergency exits or safety committees. It is whether these systems work when a crisis strikes and whether every member of staff knows exactly what to do when lives are at risk.