Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Rescue 1122 an emergency responder in humanitarian crises as well as in general emergencies in the country was once a reliable service in the country but now with the passage of time, it is deteriorating.

Air University MPhil student Afaq Wazir while talking exclusively to Daily Times said that his experience with Rescue 1122 has been “pathetic” for road accidents. He informed that on December 17, 2018, he was asleep in his home when he heard the sound of a loud crash. When he came out, he saw an old man lying on the road as a taxi driver had hit him.

“Several calls were made to Rescue 1122, but they did not respond and later we personally had to rush the injured man in a local taxi to the hospital,” he said.

Afaq, while sharing another experience of last Ramadan, said that he was on his way back from the mosque at night, when two motorcyclists got hit by a car, leaving them seriously injured. The car drove away from the spot. Afaq contacted Rescue 1122 but they failed to reach the crime scene early even though, it was G-9 sector which is one of the most accessible sectors in Islamabad. Their rescue can reached after 27 minutes, but by then, Afaq with the help of others had already taken the injured to a hospital.

On the contrary, Nauman Hussain, a resident of G-10 Markaz informed that he had called upon Rescue 1122 twice in his life, and both the times the service had been efficient and effective.

However, an official of the Kohsar police station told that in recent past, the rescue service in Islamabad had become obsolete and ineffective. Sharing an experience, the official complained how whenever somebody was hurt or injured, they had to rush him/her to the hospital themselves in the police mobile. About two months ago, at 8pm, they called Rescue 1122 for an emergency but again, nobody showed up.

An official of the Rescue 1122 wishing not to be named informed Daily Times that in its initial phase, the service received funds to enhance their quality and standards but there was a dearth of money now. Replying to a question about the ineffectiveness of the service, the official said that mostly they had received prank calls in the past, resulting in the service reaching the spot and finding nothing there. He also confided that some officials of the department were using the rescue service for their personal uses, that’s why during emergencies, sometimes the staff and vehicles were not available. He also mentioned how owing to lack of money, there weren’t enough ambulances to reach the scene.

Senior officials of the service remained unavailable for comment.

Published in Daily Times, December 25^th 2018.