The Rawalpindi administration has launched a fire safety inspection at Benazir Bhutto Hospital after Wednesday’s deadly incident at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Enforcement Abdul Rehman Khan visited the hospital with a Rescue team to assess its firefighting systems and emergency response arrangements.

The team reviewed fire prevention measures, available firefighting equipment and the hospital’s capacity to deal with an emergency.

But the timing of the inspection raises a serious question: why are hospitals being checked after a tragedy rather than before one?

Hospitals are among the places where emergency preparedness should be routine, particularly because many patients cannot quickly evacuate on their own.

The PIMS incident has now triggered fresh attention on fire safety at public hospitals, with the Rawalpindi inspection highlighting the need for authorities to identify and fix potential risks before they turn into another disaster.

The administration has not disclosed whether a similar detailed safety assessment had been carried out at Benazir Bhutto Hospital before the PIMS incident or whether any previous inspections had identified unresolved problems.

The latest exercise will therefore be closely watched to see whether it results in actual safety improvements or remains another post-tragedy inspection that fades once public attention moves on.