ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Monday directed the health ministry to lodge an FIR within 24 hours against officials responsible for the PIMS nursery fire that killed 14 newborns and recommended placing their names on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, chaired by Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti at Parliament House, expressed serious concern that no criminal case had been registered despite the scale of the tragedy.
Ministry officials informed the committee that a letter had been sent to the interior ministry seeking registration of the FIR. The committee rejected this approach, observing that the health ministry and PIMS administration should directly approach the relevant police station instead of asking the interior ministry to act on their behalf.
Senator Rubina Khalid observed that the legal period for registration of the FIR had already elapsed. The committee subsequently directed the health ministry to ensure registration of the case within 24 hours and submit details of the action taken.
The committee also raised questions over the identification of the 14 newborns whose bodies were handed over to their families following the fire at the PIMS Mother and Child Health Centre last month.
PIMS officials said the babies had been identified through wristbands carrying their names and other particulars. Committee members questioned how the identification bands and written names had remained intact and sought complete details of the identification process, including whether DNA tests of the babies and their parents had been conducted.
Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan claimed that more than 14 newborns had died and alleged that the actual number was being concealed. PIMS authorities, however, maintained that 14 babies had died in the incident and their bodies had been handed over to their respective families.
The committee also sought the current status of eight officials proceeded against following the fire and asked whether their names had been placed on the ECL. It recommended that the names of officers found responsible should be placed on the ECL in accordance with the law.
Reviewing implementation of its earlier directives concerning the promotion of formula milk, the committee was informed that the message: “There is no substitute for Mother’s Milk” had been incorporated in advertisements and on the packaging of Lactogen and NIDO and broadcast on television and radio channels.
The committee, however, found PEMRA’s presentation unsatisfactory and directed the regulator to ensure full compliance with its recommendations. It said the warning should be printed in Urdu on all formula milk packaging and should also be communicated through a clear voice-over in television and radio advertisements.
The health ministry was directed to prepare a 30-second public service message promoting breastfeeding and provide it to PEMRA for broadcast during television transmissions. Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal endorsed the recommendation and assured the committee of its implementation.
The committee also considered the Islamabad Healthcare Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening regulation of healthcare establishments in the federal capital. The health minister informed the committee that the provisions proposed in the bill were already included in the Islamabad Healthcare Regulation Act but had not been implemented. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri said stronger regulation was urgently needed to prevent overcharging by private hospitals and protect poor and vulnerable patients.
The minister said the prime minister was the competent authority to constitute the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority Board. He added that large-scale recruitment was needed to make the authority fully functional, particularly after several board members resigned following the PIMS fire.
The committee deferred further consideration of the amendment bill until its next meeting. Taking up complaints of Balochistan students enrolled at the Health Services Academy, Senator Jan Muhammad said they had been facing difficulties in obtaining certification from the academy and the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The minister said the matter had been resolved in consultation with the Higher Education Commission and the students’ qualifications would soon be recognised. He added that they would be eligible for admission to the fifth semester at an institution of their choice.
Senator Ahsan also raised the issue of nursing students working as clinical interns at the Federal Government Polyclinic who had not received their stipends from May to August 2026. The committee directed the authorities to release the outstanding payments on an urgent basis and submit a compliance report at the next meeting.
Regarding its recommendations to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, the committee reiterated that the BDS programme should comprise four academic years followed by one year of house job, instead of five academic years and a one-year house job. It directed PMDC to publish a formal notice on its website and social media platforms.
The committee also reviewed grievances of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Biochemistry graduates excluded from registration under the Allied Health Professionals Council Act, 2022. It was informed that a committee constituted by the council had proposed an additional one-year academic programme for graduates in these disciplines because of deficiencies identified in their existing curricula. The Senate committee rejected the proposal, observing that individuals who had already completed their degrees should not be required to study for another year.
The committee adopted the report of its subcommittee concerning the Medical and Dental College Admission Test. Senator Anusha Rahman Khan criticised PMDC’s past performance and alleged that the council had acted beyond its jurisdiction by issuing notices without obtaining formal approval from the federal ministry.
She also questioned the practice of making decisions through email exchanges instead of formal meetings. The committee observed that PMDC should first submit its recommendations to the health ministry for the required approval. The committee will meet again on Tuesday, when PMDC is expected to present its policy, preparations, planning and coordination arrangements for the upcoming MDCAT examination.
