‘Rescue 1122 to ensure a safer Pakistan’

International delegates laud role of emergency services

LAHORE: Minister for Disaster Management Mian Khalid Mehmood has said the devotion and the continuous struggle of the Punjab Emergency Service (PES) would ensure a safer Pakistan.

The minister expressed these views while speaking at the concluding ceremony of the 7th National Rescue Challenge at the Emergency Services Academy, Lahore, on Friday. The event was aimed at encouraging emergency services and rescuers across the country to enhance their professional skills and competencies to meet new challenges. The minister attended the ceremony on behalf of the Punjab chief minister.



Earlier, an international delegation, led by African-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) Secretary General Engineer Wassfi Hassan El-Sreihin, also visited the Emergency Services Academy. The delegates witnessed different events of the National Rescue Challenge in which teams from all divisional headquarters of Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Rescue Mohafiz and volunteers participated.

Speaking on the occasion, El-Sreihin said the Emergency Services Academy should be designated as a regional training centre for SAARC. Local Government Deputy Secretary (Bangladesh) Azam-e-Sadat thanked the government of Pakistan and AARDO for providing an opportunity to witness live activities in which people were rescued from disasters such as fire, building collapse and drowning. He said Rescue 1122 was the most precious service compared to any others from the country. “Rescuers put their own lives in danger purely for the interest of common people. This noble service cannot be evaluated in monetary terms,” he remarked.



In his welcome address, Rescue 1122 Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer congratulated the participants of the 7th National Rescue Challenge and appreciated the officers, instructors and staff for organising a healthy competition for all the emergency services of Pakistan.

Ha said Rescue 1122 had become a symbol of safety by providing timely emergency care to over 6.3 million victims, without any discrimination, in an average response time of seven minutes. He said Rescue 1122 achieved another milestone of launching a Motorbike Ambulance Service. He added the service catered to the victims of 168,000 accidents and other emergencies across Punjab, while setting a new record of an average response time of four minutes. He said it was an opportunity for all the emergency services of Pakistan to enhance their professional skills.



He voiced hope that all the teams would be more prepared for the next SAARC Rescue Challenge after this competition. He appreciated the teams and asked them to project the same spirit and passion while dealing with emergencies in their respective districts.

District Emergency Services Rahim Yar Khan won the 7th National Rescue Challenge, followed by District Gujranwala while University of Lahore took third position in the competition.

A total of 14 rescue teams from Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rescue Wardens from Sialkot and University of Lahore participated in the seven-challenge competition which included trauma, fire fighting, water rescue, swimming, deep well rescue and height rescue challenges. All of these were evaluated in accordance with the international standards of emergency management.

While congratulating the winners, Minister for Disaster Management Mian Khalid Mehmood said all the participants demonstrated professional skills enthusiastically. He voiced hope that the rescuers would play the same role while responding to emergencies in real life. “Dr Rizwan Naseer created Rescue 1122 from scratch and turned it into an international institute,” the minister said.

The provincial minister admired the working and professional expertise of the rescuers as well as their coordination. He assured the Rescue 1122 DG that the problems of the emergency service would be communicated to the chief minister. He said the expansion of Punjab Emergency Service would be extended to all remaining tehsils of Punjab, especially the southern part of the province He also expressed his deep gratitude over the successful completion of the National Rescue Challenge. He congratulated Rescue 1122 DG Dr Rizwan Naseer and his team for their devotion and continuous struggle towards ensuring a safer Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2018.