Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Shamail Ahmad Khawaja along with the members of his entourage selected for the tour of Turkey Wednesday visited Punjab Emergency Services (PESs) Headquarter and Punjab Blood Transfusion Centre Lahore to ascertain the shortcomings, needs and collaboration to further improve the performance of both the organisations with the help of Turkish experts.
Shamail Ahmad Khawaja on this occasion inaugurated recently procured 104 meter high snorkel which is capable to carry six fire fighters and rescuers up to more than 14 stories to save the lives of victims of any untoward incident.
The ACS was told in a briefing by Director General Punjab Emergency Services Dr Rizwan Naseer that government of the Punjab had provided funds for the purchase of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) mechanical masks to the under-training fire emergency response workers and fire emergency medical technicians to be employed at Punjab Emergency Services Academy, the construction of which has recently been completed with the cost of Rs 900 million at Thokar Niaz Baig Lahore.
The meeting was told that a fire tower is also constructed in the courtyard of the academy for training purposes. Thirty six district emergency boards are working under Punjab Emergency Council. 394 third-generation rescue cardiac ambulances have been working in the province out of which 29 ambulances are in the custody of PESs Headquarters at Lahore while remaining 365 ambulances have been provided to the peripheral emergency centres established in all the districts of Punjab and 15 far-flung tehsils also.
Ahmad Khawaja stressed upon the need of promoting a culture of adopting preventive measures to avert the incidents of fire emergencies through Safe Community Development Programme so that emergency exit stair cases should be obligatory to build in the commercial plazas and encroachments should not let to be established in congested areas. A volunteer service should also be evolved to enable our youth to extend a helping hand in disaster situation. For this purpose, emergency first aid and fire safety standards should be taught at intermediate and postgraduate level in the educational institutions, ACS added.
Director Blood Transfusion Service Punjab Dr Zafar Iqbal in his briefing highlighted the performance regarding blood banks running under the supervision of Blood Transfusion Service Punjab which have been established in all the teaching hospitals of the province.
Shamail Ahmad Khawaja directed to look into the expenditure incurred on the free supply of mega kits required for testing hepatitis and cancer patients which are utilised in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests and required to perform costly tests through a team Cell Separator Machines installed by the Punjab government in various public sector hospitals. He promised to take up the matter with the Punjab Chief Minister so that the poor patients of both deadly diseases could be provided diagnostic facilities without any charges.
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