Eleven hours. One premature newborn. An ambulance crew battling time, traffic and rejection.
In the heart of Karachi, an SIEHS emergency team once stayed inside their vehicle for nearly half a day—not because they lacked urgency, but because every hospital they approached refused admission. Some cited the absence of incubators. Others said their neonatal intensive care units were full. Meanwhile, the baby’s life hung in the balance.
Instead of surrendering, the EMTs transformed their ambulance into a miniature NICU. They adjusted oxygen levels, monitored temperature and kept the fragile infant breathing through sheer persistence. That moment wasn’t a rare tragedy—it reflected a crisis many families face every single day.
Pakistan has one of the highest neonatal mortality rates in South Asia—nearly 38 deaths per 1,000 live births. Shockingly, most babies don’t die in hospitals—they die before they even reach care.
The first 24 hours of life are critical. Yet, when a newborn is born too early, too cold or struggling to breathe, families are often left scrambling for transport. Private vehicles lack medical equipment. Many ambulances are unequipped for neonatal care. As a result, babies lose their lives not because treatment doesn’t exist—but because treatment arrives too late.
To close this gap, Sindh Integrated Emergency & Health Services (SIEHS), with support from the Health Department, Government of Sindh, launched Pakistan’s first province-wide Incubator Ambulance Network — a service designed to begin treatment before a newborn reaches the hospital.
Each unit is equipped with:
Unlike standard ambulances, these vehicles don’t just transport babies—they treat, protect and stabilise them during the journey. They function as mobile neonatal ICUs, following global transport standards adapted to local realities.
Every transfer represents a child who might not have survived without pre-hospital intervention. For low-income families, this service is not just healthcare — it is hope without conditions.
Although Pakistan has made gradual progress in maternal and child health, newborn mortality remains alarmingly high on Day 0 and Day 1. A few minutes of warmth and oxygen can decide life or loss — yet thousands of babies are still transported in unsafe conditions.
Incubator ambulances buy time. They give babies a fighting chance — not in theory, but in transit.
Dial 1122 immediately.If your newborn is:
➡️ Ask specifically for an Incubator Ambulance.➡️ Stay calm — trained EMTs will handle stabilisation on arrival.➡️ You will not be charged a single rupee.
In a healthcare system where outcomes often depend on money, influence or pure luck, SIEHS has created something radical — a newborn rescue service that treats every life as equal.
They don’t ask, “How much can you pay?”They ask, “Where is the baby? We’re coming.”
