Punjab Launches Historic ‘Clinics on Boats’ Service for Flood Victims

Lahore: For the first time in Punjab’s history, the provincial government has launched a **“Clinics on Boats”** service to provide medical aid to flood-affected communities. The initiative, introduced on the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, aims to ensure essential healthcare, especially for women and children stranded in submerged areas.

According to officials, Punjab’s health teams are actively working across flood-hit districts, delivering medical relief under what has been described as the **largest flood response in the province’s history**. A network of **968 mobile clinics and medical relief camps** has already been established.

Special arrangements have been made for pregnant women, with doctors and staff available for checkups, along with multivitamins, sanitary kits, and other essential supplies. Rural ambulance services remain on standby to transport critical cases to nearby hospitals.

For children, specialist doctors are conducting daily visits to relief camps, where **routine vaccinations for newborns** are also being carried out. Preventive and curative measures for insect bites, skin infections, diarrheal diseases, cholera, and malaria have been put in place.

Flood relief camps are stocked with **ORS, antibiotics, and other life-saving medicines**, while screening programs for malnourished children are being run alongside treatment facilities.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has reiterated her commitment to ensuring comprehensive healthcare for flood victims, highlighting that the well-being of women and children remains the top priority of the provincial government.