KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari launched the ‘Sindh Peoples Ambulance Service’ for Thatta and Sujawal districts at a ceremony held in the banquet hall of the CM House here on Friday.

The service, with calling number 1036, has a fleet of 25 ambulances equipped with emergency life-support gadgets and basic medical essentials. Twelve of the ambulances are for Thatta and 10 for Sujawal while three will remain on standby. The operating cost of the service has been put at Rs268.31 million.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and mother Benazir Bhutto devoted their entire life to public welfare and made all-out efforts to ensure best services to marginalised segments of society in every sector.

The PPP chairman said that availability of such an efficient ambulance service to people was a dream of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto which had come true today. By launching the service, the Sindh government had helped materialise the dream, he added. He said the service would be extended to other districts soon. He noted that the service was launched and would be run by the provincial government in partnership with the Aman Foundation.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari told the audience that over 200 residents of Thatta and Sujawal had also been trained to provide emergency health services to people within their respective areas. “This is the beginning of a new era,” he said, adding that by availing the service, people of Thatta and Sujawal would be able to transport their patients to a health facility of their choice located within or close to their area of residence. Many such health facilities had been established and upgraded by the Sindh government, he noted.

In his speech, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah paid tribute to PPP co-chairman and former head of state Asif Ali Zardari for his ‘guidance’ and assistance enabling Sindh government to launch several mega projects in the province. “Mr Zardari is the architect of the public-private partnership in Sindh. When he took over as the president of Pakistan, he guided and assisted the then Sindh government, particularly me as the finance minister, in launching mega projects by introducing the public-private partnership because we did not have the required funds and resources to undertake them,” he said.

Under his guidance, he said, a number of projects were launched, the recent ones being Jherruck-Mulakatiar bridge over the Indus and Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas Road.

Mr Shah said he and his government were working hard to bring about remarkable improvement in the education and health sector under the guidance of Mr Zardari.

“The superb ambulance service being launched today is the first step towards streamlining health services in the province as similar services will be introduced in each and every district of the province,” he added.

Sindh Health Secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho briefed the audience about operation of the Sindh Peoples Ambulance Service.

Aman Foundation Chief Executive Officer Malik Ahmed Jalal also highlighted salient features of the service and said that the people of Thatta and Sujawal would find it the most efficient and prompt service.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2017