Newborn left unclaimed at Pims for two months dies in blaze

Newborn left unclaimed at Pims for two months dies in blaze.

Key points

• Ikram Junaidi Published August 27, 2026 Updated August 27, 2026 08: 36pm.
• Shortly after the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed an inquiry committee and removed federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri.
• He was born on June 21 to a young girl who appeared to be around 15 years old, remarked a female doctor at Pims who requested anonymity.
• Ikram Junaidi is a staff correspondent for Dawn with over 25 years of experience.
• On Wednesday, 14 babies died after a fire erupted in the MCH ward at Pims.

Ikram Junaidi Published August 27, 2026 Updated August 27, 2026 08: 36pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

ISLAMABAD: One of the 14 babies who died in Wednesday's fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Islamabad, was a two-month-old boy who had remained unclaimed at the hospital since birth.

In practice, the infant had been living at Pims alongside other sick children. His body remains in the hospital mortuary after his death.

In practice, the girl reportedly did not have documents to prove her marriage. The doctor informed Dawn that hospital staff had asked "her husband and grandmother" to provide proof of marriage, but when they failed to produce the documents, "they left the baby and never returned".

Meanwhile, the doctor remarked police had been involved in the case since the child's birth and had refused to hand over the baby to the family until they provided proof of marriage. "The case was reported for medico-legal follow-up, " the doctor remarked.

"It had been two months, and the baby was growing in the nursery among sick babies, " she remarked.

Another doctor informed Dawn that the infant had been kept in an environment with a high risk of infection.

The child was additionally deprived of the necessary care essential for normal neurocognitive development.

"Every child has a right to an identity, citizenship and a family so as to become a healthy member of society. That baby was fed and clothed through donations, " he continued.

He remarked all feasible efforts had been created to facilitate the baby's adoption, adding that the police had not followed up on the case in the two months since.

In practice, the doctor informed Dawn that, according to official hospital documents, the infant was listed as "baby of 'H', but we had named him 'Ali'".

"Now, his dead body is in the mortuary. Only his legal heirs can receive the body, " he remarked.

On Wednesday, 14 babies died after a fire erupted in the MCH ward at Pims. While the bereaved families stated the rescue teams arrived too late, at the time, the health minister asserted that the fire began with a spark in the AC.

According to a statement by the hospital, the incident was "initially caused by a spark inside nursery at 06: 38am and within seconds a massive fire erupted due to oxygen points at each incubator".

It remarked two doctors and two nurses on duty inside the nursery responded "immediately and called security staff, who joined in and tried to get in twice babies out until 06: 39am, when a huge blast occurred and ceilings fell down".

Meanwhile, a number of witnesses, their hands and faces blackened from the smoke, informed AFP they waited hours for support from the emergency services and were forced to smash through windows to secure to the ward while some discovered the doors locked – an account the hospital and administration afterwards denied.

Meanwhile, a notification issued by the Islamabad district magistrate remarked that a seven-member fact-finding committee, headed by the further deputy commissioner general (ADCG), had been formed to determine the facts behind the fire.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad on Wednesday, the health minister remarked he will present himself to his superiors for accountability.

He remarked the incident was being investigated by "experts, different institutions including us", adding that "nothing will remain hidden and all facts will be unearthed".

Meanwhile, the incident has sparked outrage throughout the political spectrum, with numerous demanding accountability and criticising the hospital administration.

Ikram Junaidi is a staff correspondent for Dawn with over 25 years of experience. As well as public health problems, he covers national politics, particularly opposition parties.

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