DUSHANBE, October 31, Asia-Plus — On October 31, 2007, U.S. Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson and the Physicians With Heart project team working in conjunction with Project HOPE, delivered $6.4 million of donated medicine to the Vahdat Central District Hospital, press release issued by the US Embassy in Dushanbe said.
These supplies will be further distributed to hospitals and clinics in the Rasht Valley, Danghara, Dushanbe, Tursunzoda, Kolkhozobod, Vakhsh, and Vahdat. The medical supplies include anti-cancer medications, insulin, antibiotics, burn cream, pain relievers, vitamins, audiology equipment, and stethoscopes.
These donations were made possible through the generosity of 23 pharmaceutical companies that contributed the medicines, and through the coordinated efforts of: the U.S. State Department, which financed the transportation of the medicines and manages a Humanitarian Aid Program; Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health; Community and Humanitarian Assistance Programs (CHAP)/Tajikistan Counterpart International; and, Project HOPE, which facilitated the activities in the United States and Tajikistan to ensure safe and expeditious delivery.
Physicians With Heart is a collaborative project involving the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, and Heart to Heart International. While in Tajikistan October 23 to November 1, the Physicians With Heart team conducted panel discussions and symposia on family medicine. A specialized team conducted a course on Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO), to assist delivery-room personnel in assessing and treating obstetric emergencies. This is the 16th joint project for the Physicians With Heart partnership and the second time that Physicians With Heart has worked in Tajikistan. The partnership previously traveled here in 2005.
Since 2001, the United States has provided the Tajik people with more than $140 million in medicine, medical supplies and equipment. This includes our other very successful programs with our NGO partner Project HOPE.
