QUETTA: The Baloch­is­tan government on Thurs­day approved setting up of a rescue service, Emergency and Rescue 1122, in Quetta and along with all national highways in the province. The provincial government also decided that a separate directorate and task force would be set up for implementing the project.

The decisions were taken at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Kahn Alyani here on Thursday. It was decided that Emergency and Rescue 1122 would be launched within a month.

The meeting discussed matters pertaining to estab­lishment of Emergency and Rescue 1122 in detail. It was observed that launching such a service in Quetta and other cities and towns of the province was necessary. However, it was decided that initially this service would be established in Quetta on experimental basis. It was also decided that a bill would be presented in the assembly in this regard.

The meeting was informed that Emergency and Rescue 1122 would be established on the pattern of a similar service in Punjab and that after appointing 495 people for the service they would be sent to Punjab for training.

The chief minister directed the officials concerned that after launching Emergency and Rescue 1122 within a month, steps should be taken to launch this facility in other cities and towns of Balochistan.

People’s Primary Health Care Initiative’s chief execute Aziz Jamali informed the meeting that work for establishing emergency centres along with all national highways linking Balochistan to other parts of the country would begin soon. These centres would be established in basic health centres available in towns near highways, he said, adding that people received injuries in accidents on highways would be provided emergency medical treatment in these centres.

Official sources said that the Balochistan government had already released Rs340 million for the establishment of emergency centres. The project would be completed in four years and cost Rs4 billion.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2019