Lahore: As per vision of the Chief Minister Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Air Ambulance Service and Motorway Ambulance Service were started during 2024 for shifting of critically ill patients from far flung areas of Punjab to specialized healthcare facilities and emergency services on all 76 motorways interchanges and 1588 km running through Punjab.
Likewise, the prestigious certification by United Nations INSARAG of Pakistan Rescue Team enabled to host two historic events of International Rescue Challenge and United Nations INSARAG Asia Pacific Exercise in Lahore, which brought 274 international delegates from 23 countries and 30 organizations in Pakistan that is great honor for the country.
These views were expressed by the Secretary Emergency Services Department Dr. Rizwan Naseer during Annual Performance Review Meeting chaired at Emergency Services Headquarters, which was attended by the all Heads of Wings of Emergency Services Headquarters and Academy in person and Divisional and District Emergency Officers through video link.
Secretary Emergency Services, Dr. Rizwan Naseer said that Rescue 1122 rescued over 2.2 million emergency victims during the year 2024 while maintaining its average response time of 8 minutes in all districts of Punjab. The data showed 22.7 percent increase in the number of emergencies as compared to previous year 2023.
He was presiding over an Annual Performance-2024 Review meeting, which was held at Emergency Services Headquarters here on Wednesday. The Secretary was briefed about rescue operations during 2024 which include 1.5 million medical emergencies, 467,561 road traffic crashes, 56,260 delivery cases, 55,589 fall from height/ slip, 45,857 crime, 28,018 fire incidents, 23,088 occupational injuries, 12,860 electric shock, 12,689 animal rescue operations, 4,528 burn cases, 1,150 drowning, 691 structural collapse and 50,032 others miscellaneous emergencies.
At this occasion, Provincial Monitoring Cell briefed Secretary Emergency Services that 467,561 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) took place across the Punjab in 2024, whereas 420,387 RTCs were reported in 2023 with an increase of 11.2 percent. Similarly, 28,018 fire incidents were reported in all districts of Punjab in 2024 whereas 20,665 cases of fires were reported in 2023 with increase of 35.6 percent. Rescue 1122 managed 1.5 million medical emergencies in 2024, whereas the Service responded to 1.17 million medical emergencies in 2023 with increase of 29.1 percent. Furthermore, the Punjab Emergency Service responded to 45,857 crime emergencies in 2024, as compared to 43,302 in 2023 with increase of 5.9 percent cases.
Provincial Monitoring Cell further briefed that during last year 131,773 victims were provided Patients Transfer Services free of cost from primary healthcare facility to specialized advance healthcare facility and 47 critically ill patients shifted from far flung areas of Punjab to specialized healthcare facilities through Air Ambulance Service. Besides that, Motorbike Rescue Service responded over 1 million emergencies with average response time of 4 minutes in all districts of Punjab in 2024.