Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is one of the oldest humanitarian organizations working in Pakistan. The PRCS is working in communities on various development projects, such as Health Care and Disaster Management. Disaster Management programmes feature as the most important programmes initiated for the community welfare, with the increased emphasis on strengthening the PRCS Disaster Response Coping Mechanisms. These mechanisms, pertains to the change in Disaster Preparedness & Response Strategies to better serve to the communities in terms of effective service deliverability and long term programmes sustainability.

Besides natural disasters to which our country is very much prone to we now have man-induced disaster situations at hand. The PRCS keeping in view serious change in the security environment has shifted its focus on Man-Induced disasters. The change in the focus is infact a corollary to Pakistan’s frontline status in the war against Terrorism, and we see its manifestations in the random acts of Terrorism in our Urban Centers.

These changes in the security environment have challenged the Humanitarian Organizations to be more proactive in designing programmes that deals with combating these security hazards. PRCS, National Headquarters, in this connection has mobilized its indigenous resources to organize an Emergency Ambulance Service in the twin cities of Rawalpindi & Islamabad. It is pertinent to mention here that PRCS-NHQ has mobilized eight of its fully equipped ambulances without support from any donor.

Under the leadership of Mr. Jahan Dad Khan the Emergency Ambulance Service, has now been activated in twin cities of Rawalpindi & Islamabad. Chairman, PRCS envisages this model to be replicated in the other four metropolis of the country. During the designing phase of the Emergency Ambulance Service, Chairman, PRCS, said “Launching of quick response Ambulance Services is taken up to readily respond to disaster situations. Initially this set up will work in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, where after it will be extended to all provincial capitals.”

The Emergency Ambulance Service is monitored through a Control Room at PRCS, NHQ, Sector H-8. All the eight fully equipped ambulances also have been given Mobile Phones to remain in communication for effective control and employment. The Control Room in the PRCS-NHQ has the information on all the government run hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The distances/reaction time to these hospitals from the crowded markets has also been calculated, so that in time of eventuality the Ambulances takes the disaster victims to the nearby hospital. Likewise, coordination and cooperation mechanism has also been worked upon with the hospitals, so that at time disaster, the PRCS Blood Bank provides Blood to these hospitals. The necessary data on the hospital capacity such as “number of causality handling and blood provision” is also consolidated at the Control Room.

Thus the Control Room at the PRCS, NHQ will serve as the nerve center in case of any major emergency/disasters in the twin cities and shall provide the technical assistance to the ambulances so that the Emergency Ambulance Service performs its functions in close coordination with the other concerned agencies.

CONTROL ROOM CONTACT ADDRESS

Mr. M. Ilyas Khan, Director Special Projects
Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS)
National Headquarters
Sector H-8
Islamabad

TELEPHONE NUMBER

051-9257404, Mobile: 0333-5325930

FAX NUMBER

051-9257408

NUMBER OF AMBULANCES

8 Fully Equipped Ambulances (soon strength will be increased to ten)