Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir inaugurated Punjab Rural Ambulance Service at Directorate General Health Services, here on Sunday. These ambulances would provide services to shift the pregnant women in the needs hour from her home to the nearest Basic Health Unit (BHU) or the hospital. It would help to overcome the maternal mortality due to non availability of safe delivery facilities.
Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Ali Jan Khan, DG Health Dr Mukhtar Hussain Syed and other senior officers of the department were also present. Director Integrated Reproductive, Mother, New Born Child Health Programme (IRMNCH) Dr Akhtar Rashid Malik informed that this ambulance service would work on the pattern of Rescue 1122 for Mother & Child health facilities. He informed that call response centers would be established for this purpose. He informed that 250 ambulances are being attached with 800 BHUs which are running 24 hours. Clusters of four BHUs would be linked with one ambulance.
Talking to the media persons, Minister Health Khawaja Imran Nazir said that on receiving a call from any family, the ambulance would reach immediately to the house of concerned lady and she will be shifted to the attached BHU or the nearby hospital according to the nature of her complication. The Minister further said that this service would be outsourced to maintain quality of the service and to avoid misuse of the vehicle. He informed that lady health workers would create awareness among the women of their concerned area. They will also distribute pamphlets containing necessary information and call center telephone number. Khawaja Imran Nazir said that Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is taking personal interest for making Punjab a healthy province. On the directions of Chief Minister, a modern mechanism system is being evolved to ensure provision of health facilities at the door steps of the people of the province.