LAHORE: Newly established Motorbike Ambulance Service (MAS) has responded to over 100,000 emergencies of the province while maintaining its average response time of four minutes within a short span of time. Punjab Emergency Service Rescue 1122 Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer expressed these views while presiding over a meeting of rescue officers at the Emergency Services Headquarters on Wednesday. He added that due to effective response by the MAS, the overall emergency response of the Punjab Emergency Service has also improved significantly as MAS provides effective response to traffic crashes and medical emergencies. The director general further said the Motorbike First Responders have enhanced operational efficiency of Rescue 1122 and overcome urban challenges in emergency response by ensuring immediate first hand professional handling of emergency victims and significantly improve the sense of safety amongst citizens. It is pertinent to mention that the MAS was launched on October 10, 2017 at divisional headquarters in Punjab including Lahore, Sahiwal, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Rawalpindi with 900 motorbike ambulances and Emergency Medical Technicians. The DG was informed that MAS has responded to 54,302 traffic crashes, 36,198 medical emergencies, 1,845 emergencies of falling from height, 3,110 occupational emergencies, 1,926 emergencies of electric shock, delivery and animal rescue, 24 cases of drowning, 1,577 crime emergencies, 1,200 fire cases, 20 incidents of building collapse and eight emergencies of cylinder blasts. Dr Rizwan Naseer said that MAS is equipped with fabricated bikes, trained emergency medical treatments, blood pressure monitors, life saving medicines, a glucometre, pulse oximetre, portable oxygen cylinders, cervical collar, airway and burn kit, trauma kit, splints and is responding to average 550 emergencies per day in Punjab. He said the service has utilised resources in effective manners and now this service has become the symbol of safety among citizens of the province. “This service is equipped to allow onsite emergency management, increased survival rate, robustness, versatility and simple maintenance with cost effective further equipment has shown great access to narrow streets and congested areas and obtained remarkable achievements,” he added. Published in Daily Times, June 7th 2018.