Summary The federal govt expresses solidarity with the bereaved families
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The government Thursday announced a compensation of Rs5 million each for the families of infants who were burnt alive after a fire erupted in a nursery of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) two days ago.
In a statement, the federal government expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and said that the federal government shares equally in the grief and sorrow of the affected families.
Compensation is not a substitute for precious human lives, and the deceased children cannot be brought back, it said, adding this assistance from the government is an effort to alleviate the difficulties of the grieving families and provide some relief from their grief.
The government will provide all possible support and assistance to the affected families, it said.
The announcement came a day after fourteen infants died after a fire broke out in the NICU on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health ward at PIMS at around 6:45am.
The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time, with only one infant rescued.
Rescue sources said an air-conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery.
Read More: 14 infants die in fire at PIMS gynaecology ward
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted a high-level four-member inquiry committee to investigate the fire incident, with the government giving a timeline of 48 hours to submit interim report.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that an interim inquiry report would be available by today, adding that an independent investigation committee had been constituted to probe the incident.
He said the committee was fully independent and that many things would become clear within a day. He stressed that no human life could be compensated and that what mattered most was fixing responsibility.
He said the committee was reviewing footage to determine whether there had been sufficient response time to save the lives of children dependent on oxygen by removing the oxygen supply.
"These are technical questions on which we should not make any predictions," he said. He also said Health Minister
Mustafa Kamal had presented himself for accountability the previous day.
The PM-constituted committee had received written statements from the Joint Executive Director of PIMS and three other officers, and had questioned PIMS health management staff.
The committee also obtained written statements from the nursery staff of the children's hospital and secured CCTV footage from the nursery, which it was reviewing and comparing against the administration's account of how the fire started.
The committee was also handed the duty roster for August 26 and received reports from both the fire brigade and the emergency department.
The committee would present an interim investigation report to the prime minister within 48 hours.
