LAHORE – The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has declared a health emergency alert for all private hospitals in the province amid the ongoing flood crisis.
According to the directive issued here on Thursday, the PHC has placed all private healthcare facilities on Emergency Health Alert, effective immediately, directing them to adopt urgent measures to safeguard patient care and maintain uninterrupted medical services during this critical period.
The private hospitals are required to reserve 35 per cent of their total bed capacity for flood-affected patients and provide them with free treatment. Hospitals have also been instructed to ensure the uninterrupted availability of essential medicines, consumables, blood products and emergency response protocols.
To manage the rising influx of patients, the PHC has directed round-the-clock availability of medical, nursing, paramedical and administrative staff, with emergency departments, intensive care units, and high-dependency units remaining fully functional.
The PHC has directed hospitals to maintain triage protocols that prioritise patients based on urgency and resource availability, ensure that the operation theatres are fully equipped and functional, and secure adequate stocks of medicines, vaccines, IV fluids, surgical disposables, medical devices and gases.
In addition, all biomedical equipment and machines, including ventilators, cardiac monitors, defibrillators, ultrasound, CT, and MRI scanners, must remain operational. Medical equipment, records, and medicines must be relocated to safe and elevated areas to prevent damage from flooding.
The hospitals have also been instructed to keep their generators and standby power systems operational, increase vigilance against waterborne diseases, and deploy flood barriers and water pumps to protect entrances and critical areas.
The directive also emphasises the importance of having evacuation plans in place to transfer patients if facilities become unsafe, in coordination with other hospitals in safer areas or through temporary treatment arrangements. Hospitals must liaise closely with Rescue 1122, district health authorities, and local NGOs or ambulatory service providers to ensure swift patient shifting and referrals.
