The federal government has announced financial compensation of Rs5 million for each family of the newborn babies who died in a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad.
Fourteen newborn babies died on Wednesday after a fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital ward. Fifteen newborns were in the ward at the time of the incident. Fourteen infants suffered burns and died, while one child survived after being rescued from the room.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif suspended Health Secretary Aslam Ghori right after the incident. The PM also formed an inquiry committee to investigate the event, appointing former interior secretary Shahid Khan as the head of the panel.
State broadcaster PTV News reported the official statement on X, where the government expressed solidarity with the victims’ relatives.
“The government shares the grief and sorrow of the affected families equally,” the statement said. “Financial compensation is no substitute for precious human lives.”
The statement added that the deceased children could not be brought back to life, describing the monetary assistance as an attempt to lessen the burden on the parents.
“The financial assistance is an attempt to reduce the difficulties of the grieving families and provide some relief in their grief,” the statement noted. “The government will provide all possible support and assistance to the affected families.”
