SAHIWAL: A preliminary report of the fire incident at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital’s children’s ward has uncovered alarming details, it was revealed on Sunday.
The report highlights that the fire brigade’s ladder was malfunctioning, which significantly hampered efforts to extinguish the fire. Rescuers attempted to put out the fire by pouring water in the wrong place. By the time rescuers arrived, doctors and security guards had already evacuated the children from the ward.
A massive fire had erupted in the Children’s Ward of Sahiwal Teaching Hospital days ago on the morning of June 9, reportedly caused by a short circuit, killing nine children.
The hospital staff swiftly moved the kids to a safe place, and some parents even took their children home. At the time of the incident, the ward housed 75 children undergoing treatment.
Five vehicles from the fire brigade department participated in the operation to extinguish the blaze.
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz has constituted a three-member committee to probe the Sahiwal Hospital fire incident, which claimed the lives of eight infants. She has tasked the committee with identifying those responsible so they could be held accountable.
The chief minister expressed anger over the condition of the Children’s Hospital, stating that if this is the situation in the province’s biggest hospital, the condition of other medical facilities must be dire.
Additionally, the Punjab chief minister approved increasing the number of field hospitals to 105 and revamping hospitals in 11 major cities of the province.
