Punjab has made history by becoming the first province in Pakistan to introduce an air ambulance service to provide swift medical assistance to critically ill patients. Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique announced the initiative on Sunday while addressing a foundation stone-laying ceremony for a rainwater conservation project in Tajpura.
Under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the province has taken a significant step in expanding emergency healthcare. The minister stated that trauma and cardiac patients from remote areas like Mianwali and Bahawalnagar are already being airlifted to Lahore daily, ensuring timely medical intervention.
In addition to the air ambulance service, Khawaja Salman Rafique highlighted several other major developmental projects in Punjab. He revealed that two underground rainwater storage tanks are being constructed in Tajpura to address the issue of urban flooding. The Amina Park tank will have a capacity of 1.9 million gallons, while the Babri Park tank will store over 2.1 million gallons of rainwater.
Expanding Punjab’s emergency services, the minister shared that more than 300 new ambulances will be added to the Punjab Emergency Services Department this year. Emergency medical coverage has also been extended along the motorway from Attock to Rahim Yar Khan.
The foundation-laying ceremony was attended by several key officials, including Vice Chairman WASA Chaudhry Shahbaz, MD WASA Ghufran, and local dignitaries. The minister assured that development projects in Tajpura would commence soon after Eid-ul-Fitr.
