Despite suspension of ICRC grant, first aid training programme to continue: PRCS

Despite the suspension of funding from the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), the first aid training programme of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) would be continued with its own resources, officials said on Wednesday.

“The first aid training programme of the PRCS, which is the flagship programme of the provincial branch of PRCS Sindh, will be continued despite the discontinuation of the funding from the international partner,” Kanwar Waseem, provincial secretary of the PRCS, told The News.

Karachi Administrator Dr Saif-ur-Rehman at a ceremony in Karachi had expressed his concerns over the suspension of the first aid training programme by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Sindh, urging the Sindh governor to take immediate steps to restore the programme.

But Sindh PRCS Secretary Kanwar Waseem said that despite the suspension of funding from the ICRC for the flagship programme, the executive committee of the PRCS had decided to continue it with its own resources to equip the people of Sindh with capabilities to deal with any disaster or calamity.

He said the PRCS organises first aid training programmes for citizens, students, journalists and people from other walks of life, and in the past, this programme was running with funding from the international partner, but even after the suspension of the grant, it would be continuing and people would be trained on a regular basis.

“We are not sacking any employee associated with the training programme. We have asked our staff to get prepared for holding the training programmes for corporate organisations on nominal charges so that students and other segments of the society could be trained on a regular basis.”