KARACHI: Pakistan’s southern Sindh province will deploy its first cohort of female bike ambulance responders by the end of the current quarter, health authorities said on Wednesday, adding the women will be part of a gender-inclusive emergency response team and operate motorbikes to reach patients in hard-to-access areas.
The initiative, launched by Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS-1122), aims to improve access to pre-hospital care in congested urban neighborhoods where conventional ambulances are often delayed.
It also marks a move toward greater gender representation in emergency services, with female and male responders working in integrated teams across Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur.
“By the end of this quarter, 50 trained female responders will be deployed across Sindh — each stationed at designated take-off points to deliver swift care,” SIEHS said in a statement. “They’ll be riding 150cc bikes, not the usual 70cc — purpose-built vehicles fitted with essential life-saving equipment, communication devices, and emergency drugs.”
According to SIEHS, the responders underwent four weeks of field-based training in simulated emergency conditions, including drills and navigation under heat stress, to prepare them for rapid medical intervention in densely populated localities.
