Lahore: Punjab’s government-run Air Ambulance Service has completed more than 300 emergency missions for critically ill and injured patients, according to the Punjab Emergency Service. Operated through Rescue 1122, the service transfers selected patients from remote districts and district hospitals to specialised medical facilities in major cities. The service began operations on July 21, 2024. Its first reported patient was 40-year-old Haleema Bibi, who was moved from Mianwali to Rawalpindi after suffering serious injuries in a fall. Before the launch, the Punjab government said the service was intended for emergency transfers from areas where specialised treatment was unavailable. Government updates state that the active air wing carries life-support systems, ventilators and trained emergency medical technicians. This supports its role in maintaining critical care during transport, although the phrase “Flying ICU” is a descriptive government claim rather than a published technical certification. Official sources describe it as Pakistan’s first air ambulance service. A more precise description is that Punjab became the country’s first province to formally launch a government air ambulance service through its emergency response system. Older documentation hosted by Rescue 1122 records air ambulance activity by other organisations, including the Edhi Foundation, so the broader “Pakistan’s first-ever” claim is not independently settled
