The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has issued charge sheets to seven officers of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), including its executive director, over alleged negligence that preceded the August 26 fire in which 14 newborns died in the hospital's Mother and Child Health (MNCH) nursery.

The statements of allegation, dated October 23 and signed by Secretary Momin Agha, accuse the officers of inefficiency and misconduct under Rule 3(a) and 3(b) of the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020. Executive Director Prof Dr Rana Imran Sikander is accused of failing, as head of the institution, to put safety protocols and a time-bound corrective programme in place after a fire at the Female Nursing Hostel on July 6.

The document says he did not ensure drills, working firefighting equipment, nursery-specific SOPs or an incident-command protocol, and that he neglected regular inspection rounds, resulting in two fires a month apart. Joint Executive Director Dr Mutahir Shah is accused of failing to conduct fire drills, verify equipment, prepare emergency SOPs, communicate neonatal evacuation procedures or implement corrective measures recommended after the hostel fire.

Joint Executive Director (Non-Medical) Ch Waris Ali Raza is accused of poor maintenance of the MNCH building and neonatal ICU, blocked entry and exit routes, and poor ventilation and faulty equipment. The charge sheet says these materially hindered evacuation and rescue and were tantamount to criminal negligence.

Director MCH Prof Dr Nosheela Amjad is accused of failing to ensure an approved evacuation plan with designated routes and patient prioritisation, and of not familiarising nursery staff with emergency roles, evacuation procedures and alarm mechanisms. Dr Sadia Riaz, head of neonatology, is accused of not ensuring that rostered medical and paramedical staff were present on the night of August 25-26, and of having no system to verify attendance against the roster.

Deputy Executive Director Dr Aneza Jalil is charged with laxity in addressing deficiencies in fire causation, evacuation and emergency response after being placed on notice of the July fire. Senior Registrar Dr Nagham Nawaz is accused of leaving her duty station unsupervised during the fire, failing to ensure qualified staff in the NICU, and disrupting coordination with administrative, security and other departments.

"The charge sheets mark the start of disciplinary proceedings under the 2020 rules, and the officers can be expected to reply before any findings or penalties," an official of the Ministry of Health said.