Deeba Shahnaz Akhter
In 2024, Emergency Service Rescue 1122 achieved a significant milestone as Pakistan was honored with the United Nations INSARAG Chair for the Asia-Pacific region. This recognition followed its INSARAG classification and led to the hosting of three major international events: the International Rescue Challenge, the United Nations INSARAG Exercise in Lahore, and the Asia-Pacific Regional Chair in Islamabad. These prestigious events welcomed 274 international delegates from 23 countries, underscoring the global recognition and excellence of the Pakistan Rescue Team from the Emergency Services Academy.
Today, Pakistan is among the 57 countries classified by the United Nations for Search & Rescue Response, thanks to the efforts of the Emergency Services Academy. Besides, Chief Minister Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, launched a historic Air Ambulance Service. This initiative ensures the timely transfer of critical patients from remote areas where ambulance travel times exceed three hours. Furthermore, a Motorways Ambulance Service was initiated, providing emergency services across 76 interchanges and covering 1,588 km. Rescue 1122 has evolved from offering land-based emergency services in districts to reaching new heights with its Air Ambulance Service.
Reflecting on its 20-year journey, Emergency Service Rescue 1122 has tirelessly served humanity, saving millions of lives without discrimination. It is an integrated model of emergency services in South Asia, offering ambulance services, fire and rescue operations, water and flood rescue, animal rescue services, community safety, and building safety—all accessible through the 1122 emergency number. Additionally, the lost helpline 1192 helps reunite victims of accidents, emergencies, and disasters while also gathering feedback on services. The Emergency Services Rescue 1122 welcomes the year 2025 with new humanitarian initiatives to promote road safety, building safety and community safety in Punjab.
Last year, Punjab Emergency Service rescued over 2 million, 223 thousand victims in more than 2.2 million emergencies, which is a 22.8 percent increase in the number of accidents compared to the year 2023. These emergencies include over 460,000 road traffic accidents, over 27,000 fire emergencies, over 1,492,000 medical emergencies, over 54,600 falling from a height and 157 blast or explosions, while more than 156,000 miscellaneous accidents have been responded to. The Motorcycle Rescue Service maintained a response time of 4 minutes in over 1 million emergencies, and the Patient Transfer Service transferred over 129,000 critical patients from primary healthcare to specialized healthcare hospitals equipped with modern facilities promptly.
Besides routine emergencies, Rescue 1122 provided flood emergency response and rescued over 1,886 victims, and provided transportation to over 6,000 people from the flood-affected areas to safe places in South Punjab. The Emergency Services Academy organized the National Rescue Challenge to ensure a uniform standard of emergency services across Pakistan. A total of 18 teams participated, with the Rescue Team Gujranwala securing the first position. To further enhance disaster preparedness at the local level, the International Volunteer Day CERTs Challenge was also organized, featuring 62 teams, including a team from the Republic of China. The Community Team Bhakkar emerged as the winner, while District Gujrat claimed the second position
Looking ahead to 2025, the Emergency Service is dedicated to implementing the Community Safety Act and expanding the missions of volunteers through the Rescue Cadet Corps and the establishment of Community Emergency Response Teams. The journey to serve humanity continues with unwavering commitment. May Allah grant us the strength to maintain our standards of service and continue serving humanity with the same passion. Ameen.
The author is the Deputy Director of Public Relations at the Punjab Emergency Service Department (Rescue 1122). She can be contacted at safepakmission@gmail.com.
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