Second PIMS chief appointed after nursery fire

ISLAMABAD  –  The government on Monday assigned additional charge of Executive Director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to Prof Dr Tanwir Khaliq, making him the second person appointed to head the hospital since the August nursery fire that killed 14 infants.

Prof Khaliq, who is Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), replaces Dr Muhammad Salman, who was posted to PIMS following the tragedy and has now been repatriated to his parent department, the National Institute of Health (NIH).

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According to a notification issued by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Prof Khaliq will hold the BPS-21 post in addition to his existing responsibilities for three months or until a regular incumbent is appointed, whichever is earlier. He will be entitled to additional remuneration in accordance with the rules.

The notification, issued on the directive of the Prime Minister’s Office dated October 5, said Dr Salman had been repatriated to his parent department and directed to resume his duties at the NIH in Islamabad with immediate effect.

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In a separate notification issued on the same day, the ministry assigned additional charge of Joint Executive Director (BPS-20, Medical) at PIMS to Prof Dr Brig (retd) Azmat Hayat, a cardiologist and professor of electrophysiology at the hospital.

Prof Hayat will also hold the additional charge for three months or until a regular incumbent is appointed, whichever is earlier, and will receive additional remuneration as admissible under the rules.

Dr Salman, who was serving as chief executive officer of the NIH before his deputation to PIMS, was posted to the hospital on August 29 after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the suspension of eight officials in the wake of the nursery fire.

Those suspended included the then Executive Director PIMS Prof Dr Imran Sikandar and Prof Dr Sadia Riaz, head of neonatology at the Children Hospital.

The other suspended officials were Dr Nagham, senior registrar in neonatology; Dr Mutahir Shah, Joint Executive Director (MCH); Ch Waris Ali Raza, Joint Executive Director (Non-Medical); Dr Nosheela Amjad, Director MCH; Dr Abdul Rehman, Director General, CES, CDA; and Muhammad Usman, Assistant Director (Security).

The prime minister took the action on the basis of an interim report submitted by an inquiry committee. He directed that officials identified by the committee should face criminal proceedings in addition to departmental action, and said no leniency would be shown to those found responsible for criminal negligence.

More than five weeks after the fire, however, no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in connection with the incident.

The fire broke out in the PIMS nursery on August 26. According to the interim inquiry report, the incident exposed serious lapses in fire safety arrangements, emergency exits and the emergency notification chain.

The report said CCTV footage showed flames at about 6:38am, while the first call to the emergency service was recorded at around 6:54am. It also noted that a fire had broken out at the PIMS nursing hostel on July 6, but corrective measures taken after that incident remained incomplete. The exact source of the August 26 fire has not yet been conclusively established.

The tragedy also led to the removal of the federal health secretary, while the Senate unanimously adopted a resolution seeking the formation of a special committee to investigate the incident. The government also announced compensation of Rs5 million for each affected family.

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