Pakistan nurse hailed as hero for rescuing newborn from deadly hospital fire

A nurse at a major government hospital in Islamabad is being celebrated across Pakistan for her courageous rescue of a newborn baby from a devastating fire. Razia Noreen, a nurse at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, managed to save one infant from the hospital's nursery, but tragically, 14 other newborns lost their lives in the blaze on August 26.

Noreen recounted that she and her colleagues were preparing injections for the 15 babies in their care when she noticed flames. Without hesitation, she dropped the syringe and ran into the nursery, lifting a baby and shielding it against her chest. Dramatic CCTV footage shows her emerging with the child just eight seconds later and handing it to a doctor.

In her first interview with international media, Noreen described her desperate attempt to go back inside to save the other children. She said she dropped to the floor to crawl through the smoke-filled doorway but was forced back by the intense flames. A government inquiry noted that conditions in the nursery deteriorated catastrophically within about two minutes.

Noreen, who is part of Pakistan's small Christian minority, said she acted not out of heroism but out of a mother's instinct. She described the newborns as "her children," stating that a mother would never let her child burn in a fire to save her own life. She expressed deep trauma over the babies she could not reach, saying their screams and deaths will haunt her for years.

The government has announced that Noreen will receive the Sitara-i-Khidmat, one of Pakistan's highest civil awards, along with a financial reward. The fire, initially attributed to an exploding air-conditioning unit and later a nebulizer blast, has prompted an inquiry that identified serious fire safety failures. Eight hospital officials have been suspended pending disciplinary proceedings.