ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday approved the Tamgha-e-Shujaat (Medal of Bravery) for Razia Noreen, the nurse of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) who saved a newborn during a horrific fire.
According to Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President approved the gallantry award for PIMS nurse Razia Noreen for her extraordinary courage. On August 26, a fire in the nursery of PIMS Mother and Child Hospital claimed the lives of 14 newborns, raising serious questions over fire safety arrangements at the hospital and prompting demands to fix responsibility.
CCTV footage of the incident shows Razia Noreen entering the nursery engulfed in flames and coming out seconds later carrying a newborn in her arms. She tries to re-enter the nursery after a while, but by then the fire had spread further.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also awarded her a cheque of Rs 10 million in recognition of her exceptional bravery and sense of duty.
Speaking on the occasion, Razia Noreen had said she was performing her duty because people had entrusted their children to her and their protection was her responsibility.
Meanwhile, the inquiry committee investigating the fire said in its report on Wednesday that according to preliminary evidence, the fire was possibly caused by a fault in the local electrical system. However, administrative and institutional failures of the hospital administration turned the incident into a major tragedy.
Referring to the CCTV footage, the inquiry committee said the emergency situation developed extremely rapidly, while evidence does not support the general allegation that staff present abandoned newborns and fled.
Following the incident, on the Prime Minister’s directive, suspension and criminal proceedings were also initiated against 8 officials.
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