Stomach ache 2nd most common emergency

Road traffic crashes top cause of helpline calls in Punjab

LAHORE:

Abdominal pain was the second most frequent cause of emergency helpline calls in Punjab in 2025.

According to the annual report of Rescue 1122, as many as 214,864 cases of abdominal pain were reported across the province.

Only road traffic crashes, which accounted for 493,489 calls, exceeded the complaint in terms of emergency response volume.

Secretary of Emergency Services Dr Rizwan Naseer said Rescue 1122 responded to over 2.5 million emergencies during the year, providing aid to more than 2.8 million victims. Road traffic crashes, the leading emergency, resulted in 248,471 serious injuries and 4,944 deaths at the scene, highlighting the challenge of road safety in the province.

Other major medical emergencies included 200,061 cases of hypertension, 184,954 of shortness of breath and 141,235 of high fever. Overall, medical emergencies handled by Rescue 1122 increased by 10.47 per cent compared to 2024.

Fire-related incidents also rose, with 28,829 cases reported in 36 districts — a 2.89 per cent increase from the previous year.

Crime emergencies slightly declined to 45,992 in 2025 from 48,857 in 2024. Additional emergencies included falls from height (67,409), delivery cases (65,020), occupational injuries (25,390), animal rescues (14,351), electric shocks (12,772), burn cases (4,447), drowning (1,031) and structural collapses (1,011).

The report also highlighted specialised services: the Motorbike Rescue Service responded to 1,278,072 emergencies with an average response time of five minutes, Air Ambulance Service transferred 190 critically ill patients from remote areas, and Patient Transfer Service moved 64,792 critical patients to advanced medical facilities free of charge.

The secretary also cited large-scale flood rescue operations in 2025, which saved more than 470,000 people via boats and evacuated 2.6 million people along with 2.1 million animals to safe locations.

He urged building owners to comply with the Punjab Community Safety Building Regulations 2022, ensuring fire hydrants and Emergency Response Teams to protect lives.