Private ambulance services are a godsend for Pakistan, the state having largely failed to equip public-sector hospitals with ambulance fleets capable of handling emergencies.
Yet even this vital service can be misused, as Sindh’s health minister pointed out on Wednesday. Speaking at a function in Karachi to mark the delivery of eight ventilator-fitted ambulances to government hospitals across the province, the minister said the vehicles should be used for their intended purpose and not for personal pursuits such as shopping trips; he had been informed that in some cases ambulances had been used to fetch groceries.
It is welcome that the state has finally decided to act and has procured these specially equipped vehicles, which had been sitting idle for the past four months because no chief guest could be found to launch them into service. The ambulances will provide patients critical care until they are brought to a health facility.
Now the government must ensure that the vehicles, which cost over Rs 6m each, are well-maintained while more such ambulances are provided to public health facilities. And, of course, they must not be used for activities other than transporting patients.
As stated earlier, private ambulance fleets deserve praise for operating in very difficult, often violent circumstances. Ambulances have been shot at and drivers put their own lives at risk to save others every time there is political violence or terrorism.
But despite the private sector’s commendable efforts, it is the state that must lead the way by ensuring that properly equipped ambulance fleets across Pakistan’s cities and towns can be deployed at short notice in case of emergencies. And while we believe misuse of ambulances is the exception and not the rule, both state and private operators need to remain vigilant in this regard.
FATIMA MOTALA
Karachi