Punjab launches Pakistan’s first air ambulance service

LAHORE: Punjab has created history by becoming the first province in Pakistan to introduce an air ambulance service to provide immediate medical care to critically ill patients.

Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique announced the move while addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of a rainwater conservation project in Tajpura on Sunday.

Under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the province has taken a major step to expand emergency healthcare. The minister said that trauma and heart patients from remote areas like Mianwali and Bahawalnagar are already being airlifted to Lahore daily, ensuring timely medical intervention.

Apart from the air ambulance service, Khawaja Salman Rafique highlighted several other major development projects in Punjab. He revealed that two underground rainwater storage tanks are being built in Tajpura to deal with the problem of urban flooding. The tank at Amina Park will have a capacity of 1.9 million gallons while the tank at Babri Park will store 2.1 million gallons of rainwater.

Expanding Punjab’s emergency services, the minister said that more than 300 new ambulances will be added to the Punjab Emergency Services Department this year. Along with the motorway, emergency medical coverage has also been expanded from Attock to Rahim Yar Khan.

The foundation stone laying ceremony was attended by several important officials and local dignitaries, including Vice Chairman WASA Chaudhry Shahbaz, MD WASA Ghufran. The minister assured that the development projects in Tajpura will start immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr.