Punjab begins installing QR emergency panic buttons in hospitals

The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has begun installing emergency QR panic buttons in government hospitals in Lahore and across Punjab. The aim is to give citizens a quick, convenient and technology-based way to reach Safe City emergency services during medical emergencies.

According to the reports, the work is being done in phases on the instructions of the Punjab chief minister, Maryam Nawaz Sharif. The system is being rolled out first in Lahore and other cities of the province, and emergency facilities are to be provided in government hospitals statewide over time.

A citizen who scans the panic button with a mobile phone sees the details of that hospital on the screen. After entering a mobile number, the user can contact the hospital's blood bank, described as a virtual blood bank, through Helpline 15. Contact can be made by phone call, live chat or video call.

Once a request for blood is received, the Safe City team will help connect the patient with donors of the required blood group. Callers to Helpline 15 can also press 4 if they need blood or guidance on first aid.

The panic buttons are not limited to blood requests. Citizens can also use the QR code to seek immediate help from the Safe Cities Authority in other emergencies.

A Safe City spokesperson said the installation gives citizens an easy and modern way to get help in medical emergencies. The reports do not say how many hospitals will get the buttons or when the full rollout will be completed.