PAKISTAN’S health system is trapped in a loop of doom. A localised electrical failure caused the blaze that killed 14 newborns at the Pims nursery, says an inquiry committee’s report about last month’s tragedy in Islamabad. It holds the hospital management responsible for systemic and institutional collapse due to which the fire morphed into a calamity. More specifically, it suspects that either abnormal electrical heating due to excessive current, a high-resistance connection, or another fault triggered an insulation breakdown and set alight combustible material. These findings deepen concerns about the safety and quality of our healthcare delivery. The scourge of structural weaknesses has plagued this country for decades. It has reached a stage where both recovery and welfare are compromised.

Depressingly, lessons from an earlier fire at the Pims Female Nursing Hostel were not converted into a concrete corrective programme. This state of apathy is a curse. Pakistan cannot continue losing lives to avoidable fiascos because intention and political will are absent. Indeed, those responsible for last month’s tragedy should face transparent legal proceedings. A countrywide audit of public and private health units, including clinics, alongside unannounced checks with hefty fines for violations, must be initiated by the government. “Negligence, inefficiency, misconduct, unauthorised absence, failure of supervision or non-performance of assigned safety responsibilities” are underlined in the report, with a suggestion to restructure the hospital and install experienced experts at the helm. Our care ecosystem, rife with medical malpractice, corruption and organisational flaws, needs comprehensive reforms. No compensation or scapegoating can stem the tide of loss and life-threatening debilities. Patients cannot fear spaces instituted to treat them and keep them safe. Lastly, to lose a child to preventable defects means new layers of pain.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2026