TEHRAN - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has appreciated the Iranian Red Crescent Society for its efforts to implement emergency response programs during natural disasters.

This is a great achievement on a global scale that the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has appreciated Iran for its programs and amending viewpoints, IRNA quoted Afshin Alikhani, an official with the Iranian Red Crescent Society, as saying on Monday.

An Emergency Response Unit (ERU) is a team of trained technical specialists, ready to be deployed at short notice, which uses pre-packed sets of standardized equipment. ERUs are designed to be self-sufficient for one month and can operate for up to four months. The ERUs are vital in the IFRC's disaster response tools system.

ERUs were created in 1994 to give immediate support to National Societies in disaster-affected countries. They provide specific support or direct services when local facilities are either destroyed, overwhelmed by the need, or do not exist.

In 2017, the emergency medical technicians (EMT) team of Iran got a membership to the ERU of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Barbara Rizzoli, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Tehran, has said the actions taken by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) to battle the COVID-19 outbreak were very significant in various fields, including prevention and treatment.

In the fight against coronavirus, the IRCS, along with the Ministry of Health and other responsible organizations, has undertaken important activities, from rapid diagnosis and screening to providing medical services and shelter, she noted, adding, but the most important activity of this population has been informing the public about healthcare and treatment.

The ICRC has supported the Iranian Red Crescent Society as much as possible, one of the contributions was the payment of 500,000 Swiss francs, she stated.

MG