ISLAMABAD: The sole infant who had survived a fire at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) last month has died, it emerged on Friday.

He was among the 15 infants who were at Pims’ nursery when a fire erupted on Aug 26. The blaze killed 14 babies while one was rescued by a nurse, Razia Noreen.

Pims Executive Director Dr Muhammad Salman confirmed to Dawn on Friday that the 15th infant had also died.

After receiving the information, he issued directives to provide an ambulance to transport her body, as well as her family, to their native village in Azad Jammu and Kashmir at the hospital’s expense.

Dawn also tried to contact the girl’s father, but he remained unreachable.

Separately, hospital sources told Dawn that the infant’s condition had been critical.

There was hardly any chance of her survival as she was born premature, the sources said, adding that she had continuously faced health complications.

A senior health ministry official was unable to confirm whether the girl’s family would receive the Rs5 million compensation announced by the government after the fire.

The decision has not been taken as yet, he said.

Dr Salman also said that he could not say with certainty whether the girl’s family would receive the compensation.

The fire incident raised concerns over fire safety measures and had sparked calls for accountability, with criminal action being ordered against eight officials.

Headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan, a committee was formed on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directives on the day the fire occurred. Earlier this week, it presented its findings and recommendations in a 43-page report.

The committee concluded that “systemic and institutional failure is established, while individual responsibility varies with the strength of the evidence”.

It added that Pims and its “senior management bear the principal institutional responsibility for failing to convert known risks, prior warnings and assigned duties into an effective safety system”.

“Administrative, disciplinary, contractual and criminal responsibility must attach only where the relevant duty, omission and causal consequence are proved,” the report said.