LAHORE, Oct 8: The Punjab Health Department has arranged five truckloads of life-saving medicines from local teaching hospitals for sending them to Islamabad for earthquake victims.

The medicines collected on the directions of new health secretary Javed Malik would be sent to Islamabad by air on Sunday morning (today).

Punjab Adviser (Technical) Health Dr Anwaar Ahmad Bugvi said the Rawalpindi Medical College/Rawalpindi General Hospital principal and EDO (Health) had been asked to make available all resources and manpower for earthquake victims.

Meanwhile, talking to Dawn, Postgraduate Medical Institute/Lahore General Hospital principal Prof Sajjad Husain said the hospital had arranged a truckload of life-saving medicines comprising different 22 items, including injections, syringes, saline and ringer-lactate bottles.

He said the hospital had been put on a red alert to provide treatment to earthquake victims in Lahore.

Medical Adviser Social Security Dr Abdul Karim Khan said that the 10 social security hospitals and eight mini hospitals had been put on a red alert. He said doctors, paramedical staff and nurses had also been informed to stay alert in providing healthcare facilities to patients.