ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: Pakistan Red Crescent Society chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Jahan dad Khan has directed the PRCS officials to establish tent villages, mobile hospitals and expand volunteers’ network in the quake-stricken areas.

He also asked the director, operations, to remain in close touch with the Federal Relief Commission to make the relief operations effective and beneficial for the quake victims, said a press release of the society here on Tuesday.

He was speaking at a meeting held at the PRCS head office to review the ongoing relief work in Azad Kashmir and NWFP.

The meeting was attended by head of regional delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Bob MacKrew, IFRC country head of delegation Irja Sandburg and representatives of national societies and PRCS managing body members.

The chairman expressed satisfaction over the ongoing relief operations.

The meeting was informed that the Red Crescent has so far distributed 189 truckloads of relief goods, including tents, medicines, blankets and food items, among the earthquake-stricken people in Azad Kashmir and North-West Frontier Province (NWFP),

PRCS director operations told the meeting that the society, besides dispatching relief goods, has also sent eight medical teams to Neelum and Jhelum valleys. It has also provided first-aid to over 2,000 injured persons in the two valleys,— 1300 in Neelum Valley and 700 in Jhelum. It also rescued 4,500 quake victims. The meeting was informed that the PRCS blood bank has collected about 1,000 pints of blood that were sent to different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The PRCS secretary-general, Mr Khalid Kibriya, told the meeting that donation campaign was in full swing. “All the resources had been mobilized to mitigate the sufferings of the people. The Rec Crescent has already allocated Rs80 million for the relief operations in quake-hit areas.

He informed the meeting that the Red Crescent in collaboration with Danish and Spanish Red Cross societies has put in place efficient logistic structure and hubs in Islamabad and Mansehra for the earthquake victims.

The basic health care teams of PRCS and French Red Cross are working at Batagram with a field hospital while Norwegian Red Cross also plans to donate water sanitation unit to the Red Crescent along with a contribution of 15,000 jerry cans for the quake-affected people.

IFRC Regional Delegation head, Bob MacKrew said that a lot of relief consignments were ready to be dispatched from different national societies to Pakistan Red Crescent and assured Chairman Jahan Dad Khan that the IFRC will stand by the PRCS to mitigate the sufferings of the people in distress.

AL-SHIFA EYE HOSPITAL: Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital keeping in view the flow of injured in the hospitals of the twin cites of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, has vacated its VIP blocks to accommodate about 100 earthquake victims.