Pakistan's federal health ministry has appointed its seventh health secretary in just 18 months, with Dr Muhammad Fakhre Alam Irfan — currently serving as Power Division secretary — assigned the role on an additional-charge basis for up to three months. Health experts warn the ministry is gripped by chronic instability, with key institutions including the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims, a major public hospital in Islamabad) and several ministry departments currently operating under acting heads rather than permanent leadership. The concerns have deepened following a deadly fire at Pims in which 14 newborns were killed, with critics noting that no institutional lessons appear to have been applied to stabilise the ministry's leadership structure.