Turkey grants modern blood donation van to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Turkish Red Crescent on Tuesday handed over a latest blood donation van to Pakistan.

Secretary General of Turkish Red Crescent Huseyin Can presented symbolic key of the van to Pakistani President Arif Alvi during a ceremony held at the President House in Islamabad.

Turkish ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul and other senior officials also attended the function.

Turkish Red Crescent also handed over six first aid bikes to Pakistan Red Crescent to provide first aid services in capital Islamabad. It also provided first aid boxes to the heads of federal government schools to enable them to deal with emergency situations and accidents.

Assembled in Pakistan, the blood donation van made by Turkish engineers is a four-bed state of the art air-conditioned mobile blood donation unit. It will help to ensure a safe, secure and healthy environment, for blood donors, making them feel more comfortable and homelier than in the camps set up in open places.

President Alvi thanked Turkish government and Red Crescent for donating the van. He appealed to youth to make it a regular feature, to donate blood after every three months.

He also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and people of Turkey, saying that they stood behind Pakistan in difficult times.

Recalling President Erdogan’s address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Pakistani President said: “He [President Erdogan] raised the Kashmir issue at the UN and spoke for the oppressed Muslims of Indian Occupied Kashmir.”

"I am thankful to President Erdogan who raised Kashmir issue at the UN," Alvi said.

Pakistani President also praised the Turkish government and its people for hosting over 3.6 million Syrian and Afghan refugees and treating them like their brothers and sisters.

Turkey currently hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees and half a million refugees from other countries -- more than any country in the world.

Paying tributes to the victims of earthquake that recently shook Pakistan, Turkish ambassador Mustafa Yurdakul said natural disasters require preparedness. "Turkey was the first country to rush help to Pakistan in 2005 earthquake," Yurdakul said.

Chairman Pakistan Red Crescent Society Dr. Saeed Elahi said Turkey has always supported Pakistan in time of need.