The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Wednesday organised a ceremony here outside the National Press Club to raise awareness among people of the threat of coronavirus as well as precautionary measures to avert the disease.
A large number of people from different walks of life, including civil society, health professionals, students, lawyers, youth and volunteers, participated in the walk led by PRCS Chairman Abrar ul Haq.
Speaking on the occasion, PRCS Chairman Abrar ul Haq said his organization has taken a number of important steps to help tackle the coronavirus challenge. He said the PRCS has established information centres at the National Headquarters in Islamabad as well as all seven branches in provincial capitals, Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He said such centres are also being established at the district level across country to impart necessary information to the people about the disease and the preventive measures.
Abrar ul Haq said the PRCS has also launched a robust awareness campaign through social media and a number of other activities in this regard are also being arranged. He especially mentioned the hashtag ‘#Ehtiaat_Karona’ created to encourage people to adopt precautionary measures against the disease, since prevention is the only cure available for the disease so far.
He said the ceremony organized in the federal capital is part of a comprehensive action plan devised by the PRCS to help humanity in the time of need. He said such awareness walks as well as seminars will be arranged in all major cities of the country in the coming days. He said informatory brochures and banners with key messages about coronavirus disease as well as the preventive measures have been developed for distribution among people at the public places. He also urged media and the civil society to help PRCS in its efforts to check coronavirus so that the country can be saved from a big loss.
The PRCS chairman said that the Society has established a state-of-the-art screening centre at Chaman border and a quarantine facility at Taftan border with Iran, besides deployment of fully equipped ambulances there. He said qualified teams of PRCS are performing their duties at the Chaman border crossing to support Balochistan Health Department in screening of the people crossing the border from Iran. He said the PRCS is in the process of establishing another quarantine facility in Rawalpindi with the help of National Institute of Health (NIH).
PRCS Secretary General Khalid bin Majeed said the PRCS has deployed ambulances at important airports in the country, including Quetta, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad for transportation of the suspected coronavirus patients to the designated medical facilities. He said the PRCS has provided six high-tech and fully equipped containers, a generator and a Watson plant to the authorities to set up quarantine facility at Taftan border crossing. He said the organization is in close contact with the NIH regarding sensitizing the people about the risks associated with the disease and the precautionary measures needed to defeat the threat.
The participants of the walk appreciated the initiative of the PRCS as well as services being rendered by it for the humanitarian cause. They hoped that under the leadership of Abrar ul Haq, the PRCS will emerge as a role model of humanitarian services in the country. They also pledged to play their due role in furthering the cause of the PRCS.
