**Punjab Healthcare Commission Hosts Orientation Session to Boost Hospital Emergency Code Implementation**
The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) held an orientation session to enhance awareness and implementation of standardised Hospital Emergency Codes—such as Code Blue, Red, and Pink—across hospitals in Punjab, aiming to improve patient safety and healthcare quality. The event brought together key medical leaders and experts from public sector hospitals as part of PHC’s ongoing efforts to spread best practices in emergency readiness.
The session was organised to familiarise healthcare administrators and clinicians with PHC’s recently developed ‘Guidelines on Hospital Emergency Codes’ which align with both regional and international standards. By fostering understanding among leadership in tertiary care, teaching, specialised referral, and district hospitals, PHC seeks to create standardised protocols for rapid, efficient responses to medical emergencies.
Presided over by PHC Chief Executive Officer Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz, the session attracted 43 in-person attendees and 94 online participants, including Vice-Chancellors, Principals, professors, medical superintendents, and consultants representing hospitals throughout the province. Dr Aziz highlighted that standardising emergency codes is critical to preventing avoidable patient harm, noting that the lack of clear emergency procedures has previously resulted in repeated hospital incidents.
Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, Director of Clinical Governance and Organisational Standards, outlined PHC’s broader initiatives to enhance care through minimum service delivery standards, underpinned by these emergency guidelines. The new document prescribes ten codes—ranging from medical emergencies (Blue, Yellow) and facility issues (Red, Brown, Orange, Grey), to security concerns (Pink, Black, White, Silver). Key recommendations for successful code system implementation include staff training, dedicated communication infrastructure, and emergency response review committees.
Guest speaker and Emergency Medicine specialist Dr Taarif Hussain Warraich presented international best practices for Code Blue management, citing the gap in locally trained personnel and equipment as ongoing challenges, while advocating for locally adapted protocols and solutions. He presented insights from both national and international data, underscoring the life-saving potential of swift and coordinated emergency responses.
Participants commended PHC for facilitating the session and emphasised the significant role that medical universities play in developing training modules and accreditation for Code Blue and other codes. Professor Khalid Masood Gondal noted the College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) already integrates emergency management into its training and certifies thousands of healthcare professionals. Experts stressed that emergency plans must be tailored to each hospital’s unique needs, and called for the creation of indigenous training materials to ensure relevance in Pakistan’s specific healthcare context.
In his closing remarks, Dr Saqib Aziz welcomed the input shared by participants and encouraged all hospitals to begin charting their implementation plans for the emergency code system, reiterating PHC’s commitment to facilitating patient safety and best clinical practices province-wide.
