The government of Sindh province, while denying the facts stated in the viral video on social media about the ‘destroyed’ ambulances, said that the said vehicles are in perfect condition and will be used in the near future.
A video of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and Member of Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman has gone viral on social media since last day, which he recorded on Friday in a compound near Civil Hospital in Thatta city.
In the one-minute-five-second video, Khurram Sher Zaman can be seen walking between a queue of ambulances apparently laden with dirt, saying: ‘Sindh taxpayers’ money is rotting away in the form of ambulances and alas. Sindh hospitals do not have ambulances for patients. Welfare institutions like Edhi and Chhipa are providing these facilities instead of government ambulances to carry the body.’
These dilapidated ambulances are present in the premises of the civil hospital of Thatta, which is wasting the money of Sindh tax payers in the form of ambulances and unfortunately there are no ambulances for the patients in the hospitals of Sindh, only welfare organizations are providing the service. pic.twitter.com/8m5GMbnQHL
— Khurrum Sher Zaman (@KhurrumSherZaman) March 10, 2023
Social media users are criticizing the Sindh government for the alleged ‘deterioration’ of government ambulances in Khurram Sher Zaman’s video.
In a conversation with Independent Urdu, Khurram Sher Zaman confirmed that the above video was recorded in front of the Thatta Civil Hospital and expressed regret that several ambulances worth billions of rupees are rotting.
He said that there are two types of ambulances, blue and yellow, while the yellow ambulances have been completely destroyed.’
Responding to Khurram Sher Zaman’s allegations, Sindh’s government-run ambulance agency, the Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS), denied that the ambulances were not meant to be destroyed at this location. Rather, they have been temporarily erected to send to other districts of the province.
According to SIEHS officials, these yellow ambulances will be sent to different districts soon. While the blue colored ambulances are to be used for Sindh government’s proposed ‘Sindh dead service’, which is yet to be launched.
In an exclusive conversation with Independent Urdu, SIEHS spokesperson Murtaza Abbas said that yellow colored ambulances are also new, on which layers of soil have frozen due to standing for some time.
‘But this does not necessarily mean that these ambulances are destroyed.’
According to Murtaza Abbas: ‘203 ambulances were given to SIEHS by the Sindh government some time ago, of which 151 were parked in Karachi, which have been put on the road after basic work.
While 52 ambulances are parked in the field in front of the center of Integrated Emergency and Health Services or SIEHS in Makkale area, of which this video was made.
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He said that the said ambulances are in new condition and are to be sent to Ghotki, Mirpur Khas, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Jacobabad districts.
Integrated emergency and health services centers are in the process of being established in these districts. These centers are yet to be leased. The training of the staff there is also going on. Besides, these vehicles are yet to be registered.
In each phase, two district centers are prepared. Like leasing of centers, training of staff and registration of vehicles will be done. So we will send these ambulances to these districts. In the coming few months, these ambulances will be seen working in these districts.
According to Murtaza Abbas, at the same place, blue colored ambulances were running towards his organization in Thatta district, each of these ambulances has covered a distance of more than five thousand kilometers. They will now be repaired, and the paint and broading will be changed, after which these vehicles will be used for the Sindh Government’s proposed ‘Sindh Meet Service’. These vehicles will also be seen on the road in a few months.