The Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS) will collaborate with the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) to introduce first-aid training programmes for the industrial sector, while a proposal to station a dedicated ambulance at KATI to improve emergency response in the area is under active consideration.
According to official information today, the initiatives were announced by SIEHS Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier (Retd) Tarique Quadir Lakhiar, during a visit to KATI where he addressed industrialists and association members. The event was attended by KATI President Muhammad Ikram Rajput and senior officials from both organisations.
Brigadier Lakhiar highlighted the advanced capabilities of the provincial rescue service, stating that Rescue 1122 ambulances in Sindh are equipped with 29 life-saving devices, compared to 13 devices installed in ambulances in Punjab. He credited this to the vision of the Sindh government and Provincial Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechuho.
He informed the attendees that the service, which evolved from the Aman Foundation and now operates under the commendable patronage of the Sindh government, currently runs 627 modern ambulances, alongside motorcycles, bicycles, and boats across the province. The Rescue 1122 helpline receives over 26,000 calls daily, with a long-term objective to increase the ambulance fleet to 1,800.
Speaking on the occasion, KATI President Muhammad Ikram Rajput praised SIEHS’s successful Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, describing the 1122 service as a “symbol of hope” for citizens during medical crises and disasters.
Mr. Rajput emphasised the need to increase strategically located ambulance points in the Korangi Industrial Area in collaboration with KATI to further reduce response times. He also proposed the joint development of a comprehensive emergency response plan for the heavily industrialised zone.
He noted that one of the service’s greatest strengths is its free and non-discriminatory nature, offering the same standard of care to a poor labourer as to a large industrialist, describing it as a “true example of humanitarian service.”
KATI Senior Vice President Zahid Hameed referred to the modern ambulances as effective “mobile ICUs” providing critical medical facilities to industrial workers. He suggested that Rescue 1122 experts provide specialised training to safety staff in KATI members” factories, enabling them to act as first responders and take life-saving measures before an ambulance arrives.
Other participants, including former KATI leaders Junaid Naqi and Gulzar Feroz, also shared their views, underscoring the need for closer coordination between emergency service providers and the industrial sector.