ICRC Provides Aid to Iran's IRCS in Fight against COVID-19

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has provided 250,000 Swiss francs (US$276,500) to the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) for buying oxygen concentrators for patients with COVID-19. The ICRC donated 250,000 francs to one of the ongoing programs of the IRCS to provide oxygen equipment to coronavirus patients to strengthen treatment at home. This will relatively reduce the pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers; in addition to reducing hospitalization and provide beds to new patients in critical conditions.

Barbara Rizzoli, head of the ICRC delegation in Tehran, said that employees and volunteers of the IRCS have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 since the outbreak began in February. This assistance is a small move to recognize and support the Iranian Red Crescent Society, and we hope it can be useful in the humanitarian efforts of the Society in helping patients, she highlighted.

In April 2020, the International Committee of the Red Cross donated 500,000 Swiss francs (US$553,000)  to the Iranian Red Crescent Society to provide personal protective equipment for special patients as well as food items for the vulnerable.

“The ICRC is a valuable partner of the Red Crescent Society of Iran and we have a strong and broad partnership in various fields,” said Mansoureh Bagheri, IRCS deputy for international affairs and humanitarian law, expressing appreciation for their support in the fight against COVD-19.

In response to the outbreak, the two organizations expanded their collaborations in the distribution of personal protective equipment, hand sanitizers, and educational brochures on COVID-19 disease for migrants on the border provinces of the country.

Earlier in May, Rizzoli has said the actions taken by the Iranian Red Crescent Society to battle the COVID-19 outbreak were very significant in various fields, including prevention and treatment. - Tehran Times