Reference :
V-P-PK-E-01377
Date :
20/07/2016
Caption :
Karachi. The ICRC and its partners launch a public-service campaign to increase respect for ambulance services. An Edhi foundation ambulance is making its way through traffic at night.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
News release on ICRC website, 11.03.2016: “Pakistan: Campaign to make Karachi safer for ambulance services. Karachi (ICRC) - Today, a public-service campaign was launched in Karachi to get motorists to give way to ambulances and generally increase respect for ambulance services. Joining forces for this important cause are: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Edhi Foundation, Aman Foundation, Indus Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Jinnah Sindh Medical University. Samaa TV and Samaa FM are the media partners for the campaign. The ICRC is also planning to work with government authorities to enact legislation requiring drivers to make way for ambulances on roads. Last November, the ICRC and its partners released the results of a study on violence against health care in Karachi. It found that, of all health-care professionals, ambulance staff were the most vulnerable to violence. In the 12 months leading up to the study, 66% of ambulance drivers had experienced either verbal or physical violence. Factors contributing to the violence included the perceived low social status of the job, a lack of coordination and ways for institutions to coordinate, and the risks involved in travelling to neighbourhoods experiencing law and order problems in order to pick up people injured in ethnic and/or political violence. Failing to give ambulances the right of way is also a form of violence. It is violence against medical staff, but first and foremost against the patients, because it jeopardizes their survival. For the campaign, a number of media outlets have been contacted to run public-awareness messages, host talk shows that highlight the lifesaving work of ambulance services and inform the general public of their civic duty. Ambulance staff too have a role to play in increasing their safety. By upholding their ethics and not misusing their sirens, they can prevent their image – and that of the medical profession as a whole – from being tarnished. The ICRC and its partners are appealing to all media outlets, bloggers and civil-society activists to help spread the word and make Karachi safer for patients, ambulance staff and all health-care professionals.”
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
3316x2211
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
