Emergency medical services in Pakistan

rdf:langString Emergency medical services in Pakistan

rdf:langString Emergency medical services (EMS) in Pakistan are provided both by the government and private sector, with the latter being main a payment-for-service system. Healthcare falls under the responsibility of provincial governments (Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), except for in the federally administered territories. According to the National Health Care Act 2017, every patient has the right to receive life-saving care without advance payment for treatment. Healthcare professionals and establishments are obligated, under all circumstances, to treat an emergency patient. EMS in Pakistan include pre-hospital emergency care, such as ambulance services. Ambulance services are mostly provided by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), like Edhi Foundation and Chhipa Welfare Association, with the exception of services like the Punjab government's Rescue 1122. Although the majority of ambulance services in Pakistan are operated by NGOs, the pre-hospital emergency care staff is usually untrained. Most services are unable to provide advanced life support to patients on-site, apart from EMS organizations like Aman Foundation, which have more trained staff. According to Aman Foundation, emergencies are reported every two minutes on a daily basis in Karachi alone, thus there is a greater need to expand emergency medical services in the country.