RAWALPINDI: A high alert has been issued in all three allied hospitals of Rawalpindi — Holy Family, District Headquarters (DHQ), and Benazir Bhutto Hospital — in preparation for any possible emergency situation. Full-scale emergency rehearsals have also been conducted.
All emergency doctors have been called in immediately. The alert was issued as a precaution to ensure timely response in case of any critical situation.
Doctors and support staff have been placed on high alert. Hospital staff have been instructed to keep their phones active at all times. Availability of medicines, blood, surgical supplies, and oxygen in emergency wards has been ensured. Additional medical staff is also on standby to provide immediate care to patients.
This alert has been issued on the instructions of the Punjab Health Department. Citizens have been requested not to visit hospitals unless absolutely necessary. All emergency services are fully functional, and rescue desks have been set up. Other relevant institutions have also been alerted.
Vice Chancellor of Rawalpindi Medical University, Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar, held meetings with medical superintendents and heads of departments of all three hospitals and issued necessary instructions.
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Earlier, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon visited several hospitals, including PIMS, Polyclinic, and CDA Hospital, to review the situation. In light of the emergency, all non-emergency surgeries have been postponed, beds have been reserved, doctors’ leaves have been cancelled, and magistrates have been directed to stay present in hospitals at all times.
Meanwhile, all educational institutions across Punjab will remain closed on May 9 and 10, following heightened tensions due to recent military escalation between Pakistan and India.
In an official statement, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat confirmed that the closure applies to all public and private schools, colleges, and universities throughout the province. Separate notifications have been issued by the relevant departments.
