Hospital Crisis: Fire Breaks Out in Operating Theatre During Surgery at Sheikh Zayed Medical College

RAHIM YAR KHAN, Pakistan — A fire broke out in an operating theatre of Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) during an active surgical procedure on Saturday morning, September 5, 2026 triggering panic among patients and medical staff.

The incident occurred during the early morning hours when medical personnel were performing an operation in one of the facility's Phase-II operating rooms. Electrical wiring inside the room suddenly caught fire, filling the surgical suite and adjacent hallways with heavy smoke. Surging smoke forced the surgical team to halt the procedure mid-operation and immediately evacuate the patient to a safe area before the blaze could spread.

Hospital officials and emergency responders acted quickly to contain the situation. SZMCH Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr. Rana Ilyas Ahmed stated that the fire stemmed from an electrical short circuit. On-site security personnel, alongside doctors and paramedics, deployed fire extinguishers to bring the blaze under control within roughly ten minutes. No injuries or fatalities were reported among the patients or duty staff.

In the aftermath, Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Jappa took formal notice of the incident and ordered Assistant Commissioner Abdul Hannan Khan to lead an inquiry into the exact cause and assess the hospital's safety protocols. District officials subsequently met with health authorities to review emergency response mechanisms and enforce regular inspections of firefighting equipment across all regional public hospitals.

Following the initial containment, hospital engineers and maintenance technicians immediately shut down power supply lines to the affected wing to prevent secondary electrical ignitions. Surrounding wards and intensive care units were temporarily ventilated using industrial exhaust fans to clear lingering toxic fumes, allowing non-emergency surgical operations to resume in alternative, unaffected theatres later in the afternoon.

Healthcare worker unions and local patient advocacy groups have used the incident to call for urgent infrastructure upgrades across aging public medical facilities. In response, the Provincial Health Department promised a full audit of electrical systems across major tertiary care hospitals in Punjab, promising dedicated funding to replace outdated wiring, install modern automatic fire suppression systems, and mandate routine safety drills for all medical personnel.