BAHAWALPUR: The Government Nawab Sadiq Abbas Hospital in the city has been functioning without an ambulance facility for its patients since its establishment about 10 years ago.

Dawn learnt that when one Zafar Ahmed went to hospital’s emergency for the gynae treatment of her relative some days back, he was told to shift the patient to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) owing to the unavailability of the doctors concerned.

When he demanded an ambulance to shift the patient to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital, he was shocked to know that the hospital had no such facility and he had to arrange it himself on his own.

At this he shifted the patient by an auto-rickshaw to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital for treatment as the private ambulances had demanded high fare.

Health facility was established 10 years ago

Speaking to Dawn, Dr Hamid Khan, medical superintendent of the hospital, confirmed that the 450-bed hospital lacked this basic facility of ambulance service and that the Punjab government had not provided the hospital with any ambulance since its establishment.

The local patients had been facing a great deal of inconvenience since the hospital was opened by former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif.

However, the medical superintendent added, ambulances could be arranged for emergency cases whenever it was needed by the patients from Rescue 1122.

But, in the case mentioned above, the on duty officials of the hospital administration remained unconcerned and instead of calling an ambulance from Rescue 1122, they directed the patient’s attendant to arrange for an ambulance himself.

The medical superintendent claimed that the Punjab health department was repeatedly requested to provide ambulances to the hospital but it was not done.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2026