Air ambulance planned for Pakistani Punjab
The government of the Pakistani province of Punjab has announced plans to establish an air ambulance service in the region
The project would be operated by Punjab Emergency Service Rescue, and is projected to have an annual cost of Rs440 million (US$1.58 million).
The Punjabi government is reportedly looking to use two fixed-wing aircraft to operate the service, according to a report by the Express Tribune newspaper.
Flight operations and maintenance would be provided by a private aviation firm on behalf of the government, while medical crew and equipment would be provided by Punjab Emergency Service Rescue.
The aircraft would be based in two bases – one in the north, either in Rawalpindi or Mianwali, and another in the south, at either Multan or Bahawalnagar, with the aim of providing service to the entire province.
The service would be used to offer medical transport to patients in remote areas, and offer rapid response to disasters.
The state of Jharkhand in neighboring India launched its own air ambulance service in April of last year, with the aim of providing accessibly priced medical transfers.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.