Free walk-in COVID-19 testing facility opens at Karachi’s Hilal-e-Ahmer

By Muhammad YaseenPublished On 05 Jan 2023

The Sindh branch of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society has opened up a free walk-in COVID-19 testing facility at Hilal-e-Ahmer House, Karachi.

People can call them at 021-37130084, the Red Crescent’s Aagahi helpline, and request an appointment. The helpline will be active from 9am to 7pm. Testing itself will be carried between 10am and 3pm, the PRCS said on Thursday.

Those who will be considered for testing include people with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, those who have been in contact with a confirmed case or those who have recently travelled abroad.

The Indus Hospital has provided technical support to PRCS in this regard. The facility is primarily for people who cannot afford to get themselves tested.

The paramedical staff and other personnel deployed at the testing facility in Karachi have been provided with all the necessary safety and protective equipment to safeguard them against the viral epidemic.

PRCS Sindh Chairman Shahnaz S Hamid said that the management of the PRC Sindh is pleased to have a higher level of collaboration and assistance from local and international donors and philanthropists. She urged others to come forward to donate generously for the procurement of testing kits.

PRC Sindh has also activated an Emergency Control Room at its provincial headquarters and deployed volunteers at the Field Isolation Centre at Expo Centre Karachi and the PDMA operations department.

Recently, it distributed KN-95 masks among health staff of public hospitals in Sindh to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.