Federal Health Secretary Mahmood Rai has established a temporary monitoring and complaint-resolution camp outside the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad following the tragic deaths of 14 newborn babies in a nursery fire. The camp has been set up at the hospital’s entrance to provide patients, attendants and visitors with a direct channel to senior health officials.
Mahmood Rai will visit the camp daily to hear complaints from patients and their families and monitor the hospital’s overall situation. He will also conduct regular inspections of PIMS to review healthcare services, administrative arrangements and facilities available to the public.
The move comes after the devastating fire in the nursery of the gynaecology ward claimed the lives of 14 newborns and raised serious concerns about fire safety, emergency preparedness and hospital response mechanisms. Authorities have launched investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and assess whether safety protocols were properly followed.
The temporary camp is intended to strengthen oversight at PIMS and ensure that complaints are addressed promptly. The development comes amid growing demands for accountability and improved safety standards at public-sector hospitals following the PIMS nursery tragedy.
