Ambulance service for expecting mothers launched in Lahore

Health minister says chief minister is committed to improving health care

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir inaugurated the Punjab Rural Ambulance Service at the Directorate General Health Services on Sunday.

These ambulances will transport expecting mothers to the nearest Basic Health Unit (BHU) or hospital at the time of labour. The service will help overcome maternal or infant mortality caused by the lack of safe delivery facilities.



Primary and Secondary Health Secretary Ali Jan Khan, DG Health Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed and other senior officers of the health department were present. Integrated Reproductive, Mother, New Born Child Health Programme (IRMNCH) Director Dr Akhtar Rashid Malik said the ambulance service will work along the same lines as Rescue 1122.



He said call response centres will be established for this purpose. He added 250 ambulances are being attached with 800 BHUs which will run round the clock. Clusters of four BHUs will be linked with one ambulance.

Talking to the media, provincial minister for health Khawaja Imran Nazir said that after receiving a call, an ambulance will be dispatched immediately to the house of the expecting mother to transport her to the attached BHU or nearest hospital.

The minister further stated that this service would be outsourced to maintain its quality and avoid misuse of the vehicle. He added lady health workers would create awareness among women of different areas.



They will also distribute pamphlets with necessary information and the call centre telephone number. Nazir said Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif was taking personal interest in making Punjab a “healthy province”. On the orders of the CM, a modern mechanism is being evolved to ensure health facilities at the doorstep of the people.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2016.