ISLAMABAD: A Chinese company has awarded Rs1 million to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) nurse Razia Noreen for her bravery in rescuing a newborn during a deadly fire at the hospital’s neonatal nursery that claimed the lives of 14 babies last month.

Chinese company chairperson Yan Jin presented Noreen with a cheque for Rs1 million and praised her courage for risking her own life to save the infant.

Yan said saving one life was equivalent to saving all humanity and praised Noreen for demonstrating exceptional courage and a strong sense of duty in an extremely dangerous situation.

The award comes a week after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presented Noreen with a Rs10 million cheque and announced that she would receive the Tamgha-i-Khidmat on March 23 next year in recognition of her bravery.

Nurse rescues sole surviving newborn

The fire broke out on August 26 at the neonatal ward of the Mother and Child Hospital at PIMS.

There were 15 newborns in the nursery when the fire erupted. Fourteen infants died, while Noreen managed to rescue the sole surviving baby.

The blaze broke out at around 6:54am on the third floor of the hospital, where the newborns were receiving treatment.

Security footage showed Noreen entering the smoke-filled nursery and emerging seconds later carrying a baby to safety.

She subsequently attempted to return to the nursery but was unable to do so because of the intense fire and smoke.

Noreen later told the prime minister that she had acted as part of her duty and tried to save as many children as possible.

After receiving the government award, she said she considered the recognition an honour for all PIMS staff members who had worked during and after the tragedy.

An inquiry into the fire subsequently recommended a Rs10 million reward and a civil award for Noreen after identifying her as the nurse who evacuated the only surviving baby while risking her own life.

Inquiry identifies safety, administrative failures

The recognition for Noreen comes as authorities continue to face questions over the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 14 newborns.

An inquiry into the incident identified serious institutional, administrative and fire-safety shortcomings at PIMS.

It recommended action against eight officials and called for criminal proceedings against those found responsible.

The inquiry also found that the precise technical cause of the fire remained unresolved and required further investigation.

It identified inadequate fire-safety, evacuation and emergency-response arrangements at the facility and noted that CCTV footage showed conditions inside the nursery deteriorating rapidly after the fire became visible.

The government has since taken steps aimed at addressing safety and operational shortcomings at PIMS.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal chaired a meeting on September 7 in which officials reviewed technical issues at the Mother and Child Health Centre, including problems involving the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.

The government also decided to urgently address shortages of engineering and technical staff at PIMS.

Calls for accountability continue

The fire has also triggered demands for criminal action and stricter enforcement of fire-safety standards.

The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Wednesday directed authorities to register an FIR over the PIMS nursery fire and initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible.

Committee members expressed concern that no FIR had been registered despite earlier directions from the prime minister to take action against officials found responsible.

The tragedy has also prompted wider scrutiny of fire safety in Islamabad.

The Capital Development Authority conducted fire-safety drills at government buildings following the deaths, while a petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court challenging the alleged non-implementation of fire-safety laws in the capital.

Noreen’s rescue of the newborn has emerged as a story of individual courage amid a tragedy that has raised serious questions about institutional preparedness, fire safety and accountability at one of Islamabad’s largest public hospitals.