President of the Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS) Dr Kerem KINIK and the Chairman of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari, on Monday visited flood-affected areas of Sindh and distributed hygiene kits and food packs to flood victims in district Sujawal.
This critical visit came at a time when Turkish humanitarian efforts continue at a large scale to support the needs in Pakistan, with 12 airway shipments arriving already and four railway shipments on their way.
According to a press release here on Monday, a Turkish Red Crescent delegation and the Pakistan Red Crescent distributed 500 hygiene kits and 500 food packs (50 kg) to distressed families in the Sujawal district.
In addition, more relief items, including 500 hygiene kits, 500 food packs, and 250 tents, will be distributed in Dadu district and other flood-affected areas of Sindh, benefiting more than 7500 deserving people. Dr Kerem KINIK expressed condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the devastating floods in Pakistan.
Dr KINIK said that the Turkish Red Crescent would continue its full cooperation with the Pakistan Red Crescent for maximum assistance to the flood victims. “Relief items including food, cash assistance, non-food items like tents, hygiene kits, jerrycans, mosquito nets, blankets, mattresses, etc. have been sent to the flood-affected areas of Balochistan,” he said.
He stated that more humanitarian aid and relief supplies would be gradually distributed to Sindh as part of ongoing relief operations. While visiting a free medical camp in Sujawal, he appreciated the efforts of the Sindh branch of the Pakistan Red Crescent. “The Turkish Red Crescent will soon organize free medical camps to help diagnose and treat about 6,000 people,” Dr KNIK said.
Sardar Shahid Ahmad Laghari thanked the Turkish Red Crescent for its great assistance and stated that Turkey has always assisted Pakistan in times of need. He said more than 33 million people in Pakistan have been affected by floods, and many have been displaced because their homes have been demolished, their animals killed, and their crops devastated, and they are now suffering from health problems. “We hope that the Turkish Red Crescent and other partners of the Red Crescent movement will step out to support us in assisting the deserving people promptly,” said the chairman.
He also appreciated the efforts of the Pakistan Army, Navy, NDMA, and government machinery in using all their resources for flood relief operations.
The chairman of the Pakistan Red Crescent Sindh Branch, Samar Ali Khan, welcomed the TRCS delegation and briefed them about the ongoing response to floods in Sindh province. He stated that PRCS-Sindh has already distributed thousands of relief items in Thatta, Badin, Dadu, Shikarpur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Hyderabad, and Mirpurkhas. He added that now, PRCS will soon deploy its mobile health units, install more water purification plants, and distribute portable water filters, date bars, and nutrition supplement sachets to flood-affected families.
Earlier, Dr KINIK, TRCS Director General Alper Kucuk, Chairman PRCS Laghari, PRCS Secretary General Dr. Adeel Nawaz, and others visited the PRCS Emergency Operation Center in Karachi. The PRC-Sindh Secretary Kanwar Waseem presented an overview of the flood situation in Pakistan in general and Sindh in particular.