Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho on Tuesday launched a free mortuary van service, which will be managed and operated by the Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS).
A total of 25 mortuary vans will be used to transport bodies for free throughout province. The service will be accessible by dialing 1122.
Of these vans, eight vehicles will be in Karachi, five in the Hyderabad region, three each in Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Larkana regions.
To manage the provision of these mortuary vans, proper criteria and SOPs have been established. This service will be provided free of charge on a first come first basis to those who cannot afford to transport the bodies of their loved ones.
Only bodies from the hospital facility will be transported by mortuary vans, officials said, adding that this service will initially be only for within the district transportation. However, requests from other districts will be considered after sufficient verification and the availability of a mortuary vehicle, they said.
The SIEHS will keep working hard to serve the community with top-notch, fully-equipped ambulances and qualified staff on board along with the mortuary vans under the supervision and guidance of the Sindh Health Department.