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Thursday March 28, 2024

The ambulance service that seems to have crashed before taking off

By M. Waqar Bhatti
March 12, 2017

25 new vehicles of Aman Foundation’s project for Thatta and Sujawal rusting away as 235 staffers continue to draw salaries for doing nothing

Twenty-five new, well-equipped ambulances purchased with the Sindh government’s funds and provided to the Aman Foundation for Thatta and Sujawal districts are rusting away in Karachi for the past three months despite hiring and training of the requisite staff, The News has learnt.

Moreover, around 235 people hired to run the service, including drivers, basic life support providers, medical technicians and ground staff, are drawing salaries for the past six months for doing absolutely nothing.

Hundreds of people die annually due to road accidents, brawls and terrorist attacks in Sindh before reaching any specialised health facility due to absence of a modern ambulance service in the province.

Experts claim that mortality in accidents and incidents involving life-threatening injuries can be reduced up to 50 per cent with the launch of a modern ambulance service with trained paramedics on board.

Under public-private partnership, the Sindh Health Department had released over Rs400 million to the Aman Foundation last May for purchasing 25 ambulances for Thatta and Sujawal, hiring and training of ambulance and ground staff, and establishment of a command & control centre each in the two districts. By December 1 last year the foundation was ready to launch the service.

“An invitation was prepared for launching the Sindh People’s Ambulance Service on November 30 and later on December 15, but the service is yet to kick off,” said an official of the health department. “During these past months, hundreds of people died in road accidents and other incidents because they couldn’t be taken to the hospital by a well-equipped ambulance.”

An emergency helpline number (1036) was also allotted to the Sindh People’s Ambulance Service and was supposed to be activated on January 1, but the number does not work, the expensive ambulances are turning into scrap and the idle staffers continue to draw salaries, the official added.

He claimed that the Aman Foundation was repeatedly postponing the launch of the ambulance service for Thatta and Sujawal to put pressure on the authorities to get a contract for launching a similar service in the entire province.

Hearing a constitutional petition in November, the Sindh High Court had directed the health department to launch a fully-equipped ambulance service with trained and qualified staff within three months in Hyderabad and in six months in the entire province.

Aman Foundation has even prepared maps of major thoroughfares, minor roads, link roads and other paths and ways so that drivers could easily report to emergencies and take patients to health facilities as soon as possible.

The foundation’s CEO, Ahmad Jalal, denied any conspiracy behind delaying the launch of the ambulance service. “Purchase, fabrication of ambulances, and hiring and training of staff requires time, but now we’re ready to launch the service by next week.”

Sindh Health Secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho blamed the Aman Foundation for the delay, saying he had nothing to do with the hold-up, as it was up to the foundation to commence the service whenever they wish. “The Aman Foundation and the Sindh chief minister have been involved in this project prior to me and they can inaugurate the ambulance service at their ease on a few days’ notice.”

In a later message to The News, Dr Pechuho claimed that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wished to inaugurate the ambulance service, saying that when both CM Syed Murad Ali Shah and the PPP chief were available at the same time, the service would be inaugurated and the ambulances would start plying the roads of Thatta and Sujawal.