The Punjab chapter of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has initiated a model project of activating and upgrading its dispensaries to the tehsil level to ensure easy access of the masses to state-of-the-art treatment facilities.
In an interview with APP here on Thursday, Punjab PRCS Chairman Mian Muhammad Hanif gave some details of the measures taken in this connection. He said that a charity hospital had been established in Faisalabad under Citizens Community Board (CCB) project. Three ambulances have also been provided to the hospital, having facility comprising 40 and 30 beds respectively for gynaecology and paediatrics wards.
The project, he said, would later be extended to Gujranwala, Multan, Gujrat and other districts of the province, while every district would be provided an ambulance.
In addition to treating the blood disorder thalassaemia and providing blood transfusion facility, the Society was now providing dental and eye treatment to patients at Lahore, while ultrasound facility would also be made available here shortly, he added.
To a question, the provincial chairman said that 10-15 thalassaemia patients were being treated daily at Lahore's dispensary, while more than 100 patients got free medicines and treatment facilities.
Punjab PRCS is also providing healthcare facilities through its medical institutions mostly located in remote areas where there is scarcity of medical care.
These institutions range from full-fledged hospitals to small dispensaries, maternity and child welfare centres, population welfare centres, tuberculosis hospitals, voluntary counselling and testing centre for HIV/AIDS, thalassaemia centre and leper centre etc.
"The provincial PRCS is also consolidating its ongoing projects to further improve them with focus on improvement and activation of dispensaries, creating awareness among students, volunteer mobilisation and training for disaster and calamity preparedness," said Mian Hanif.
He said the Punjab PRCS in collaboration with the Youth Wing of its national headquarters recently held a training camp at Murree in which 40 male and 40 female teachers from across the province were imparted disaster and calamity preparedness training, and those teachers would further train people in their respective districts.
To a question, he said the society had recently sent two C-130 aircraft and 24 trucks of relief goods worth Rs 20 million to the flood-affected areas of Balochistan and Sindh.