Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has said his government has set up district emergency boards throughout the province to cope with any emergent situation to achieve the 'Mahfooz Punjab' objectives.
He told the second meeting of the Punjab Emergency Council here on Saturday that the Punjab Emergency Rescue Service 1122 had proved successful in meeting with any emergency situation and providing relief.
He said that after Lahore this service had begun in Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Rahimyar Khan and the Southern Punjab, including Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha and Murree, would also get it in November end.
Punjab Emergency Ambulance Services Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer then detailed his audience on the Rescue-1122 performance. The chief minister said his government had made exemplary legislation to strengthen the Rescue Service System and more effective. He said the emergency boards would review in detail the assessment and performance in incidents of emergency in their monthly meetings.
The meeting also approved the Fund Management Board to take care of management of donation receipts. He said the scope of the Punjab Emergency Rescue-1122 Service was also being extended to the far-flung areas in the Southern Punjab.
He also said his government would remove encroachments along with service lanes of highways so that ambulances and other relief providing vehicles could easily reach accident sites. He said his government would launch an awareness campaign and that hospitals would get new ambulances equipped with the latest equipment with trained staff.
He said rescuers should be provided bright coloured waistcoat on uniform to help the public identify them. He said there would be recruitment's for the emergency service on merit.
He then lauded the services of Dr Rizwan Naseer for activating the Punjab Emergency Services. Punjab Emergency Services Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer told the council about the performance of Rescue-1122. The Council learnt that the Emergency Rescue Services had performed 78,893 rescue operations and provided relief in 36,341 traffic accidents, 400,557 medical emergency, 2,094 fire incidents, 281 demolishing of buildings and 86 bomb blasts.
Punjab Chief Secretary Salman Siddique, P&D Chairman Suleman Ghani, Punjab Police Inspector General Ahmad Nasim, Home Secretary Khusro Pervaiz, Health Secretary Raees Abbas Zaidi, Local Government Secretary Akhlaque Ahmad Tarar, Transport Secretary Agha Nadeem, Provincial Relief Commissioner Ghazanfar and Members of the Provincial Assembly Chaudhry Ansar Iqbal Baryar and Farida Rafique Sulehri were present.