PUBLIC PERCEPTION TOWARDS PUNJAB EMERGENCY SERVICE RESCUE 1122: A CASE STUDY OF LAHORE CITY, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

This research aims at to know the perception of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) among general public of Punjab, Pakistan. Rescue 1122 was launched from Lahore dating back 2004 and later on, it expanded to all districts of Punjab and other provinces of the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhaw; Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jamu & Kashmir. The researchers adopted Survey as methodology to analyze the perception of Rescue 1122 in the minds of citizens of Punjab. Lahore, widely considered as a heart of Pakistan because having people belonging to all areas of the country, was selected for survey study. A questionnaire was developed, which carried 25 open ended questions and the population of 500 respondents were chosen on non-random sampling basis. Total 491 respondents replied, and majority of the respondents gave positive opinion about provision of emergency services to the victims of various emergencies. The youth gave more positive opinion about the Service as compared to senior citizens, whereas the people belonging to urban areas especially the females were more aware of about the functioning of Rescue 1122 as compared to the same age group living in rural areas. They, however, recommended that more females should be encouraged in the department. Majority of the respondents also opinionated about minimum corruption chances in Rescue 1122 as compared to other departments. Overall, the satisfaction level was observed up to the mark. Also, the hypothesis set by the researchers proved true.