Ambulance service

This refers to the article ‘What is wrong with our ambulances?’ (Oct 7) by Dr. Naazir Mahmood. On behalf of the Aman Foundation, we would like to express our concern and regret for the inconvenience faced by the writer. In line with our pre-existing customer service guidelines, we have initiated an inquiry into this matter. The writer has also been contacted for the same reasons. We would like to point out that Aman Ambulance always tries to respond as promptly as possible to all emergency calls. However, the reality is that owing to a large number of calls received every day – close to 1,000 – an ambulance is not always available promptly. Aman has 60 on-road lifesaving ambulances in its fleet, whereas for Karachi’s population of 20 million, at least 200 ambulances are required, based on the WHO guideline of one ambulance per 100,000 people. This is the core of the problem.

The good news is that this is now poised to be addressed effectively, as the Sindh government has already announced that it will partner with Aman Health to set up an integrated emergency response system, and expand its fleet of ambulances to 200 by the end of 2019. Aman, together with the citizens of Karachi, looks forward to this initiative becoming a reality soon.

Khaqan Sikander

The Aman Foundation