Japan funded secondhand ambulances handed over to Pakistan Red Crescent Society in Islamabad

Arslan Ali Arsal

Mr. ISHII Kensuke, Counsellor of the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan, attended the handover ceremony for the project of reusing secondhand ambulances funded by the Government of Japan to Pakistan Red Crescent Society, one of the largest humanitarian organizations working all over Pakistan. The ceremony was held in the PRCS headquarters in Islamabad on July 20, 2023, the last day of a training session with Japanese instructors.

The Government of Japan had provided PRCS with a USD 90,899 grant (equivalent to around PKR 25million PKR) that was allocated for the transportation of five secondhand but well-equipped ambulances from Japan to Pakistan and a short period of training session for its staff. The project aims to enhance the life-saving structure of PRCS in the wake of unexpected emergencies such as floods and provide quality healthcare services to people. Now, PRCS has got nine ambulances in its fleet including four they received from the Government of Japan in 2018.

At the handover ceremony, Mr. ISHII congratulated all the PRCS staff for the successful completion of the project as well as appreciated the instructors coming all the way from Japan for the productive training session and their attendance at the ceremony. He also mentioned that the five ambulances had been dispatched to the affected areas when the devastating flood happened last summer and expressed his hope that the additional ambulances would contribute more to a quicker response to people in need in the future.

The Government of Japan, under the scheme of Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), will continue to support the people of Pakistan at the grassroots level in collaboration with local organizations.