DUSHANBE, December 1, 2009, Asia-Plus — The U.S. Department of State, through Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) has delivered $6,628,628.44 worth of donated medical supplies to hospitals and health facilities in Tajikistan, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.
The supplies, which arrived last week on an AN-12 cargo plane, are offered to the people of Tajikistan at no cost.
This plane represents the cooperation and hard work of many different participants. The U.S. Department of State paid for the cargo plane to deliver the donated medicine in a timely manner. Project HOPE used its extensive contacts with pharmaceutical companies all over the world to spread the word about Tajikistan’s need for medical supplies.
Project HOPE agreed with Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health well in advance which items will be sent and which hospitals will receive the items. As a result, the representatives of the receiving hospitals came to the airport and took their donated medical supplies directly from the plane to their hospitals.
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE has a long history of working with doctors and pharmaceutical companies to implement humanitarian aid programs, health education and health reform in developing countries. Western Pharmaceutical companies support HOPE because they know their donations will not end up in warehouses, but will be escorted directly to hospitals. They also are familiar with HOPE’s rigorous monitoring to keep track of usage.
This shipment included oncology, cardiovascular, anti-viral and psychiatry drugs, ophthalmology and skin medicines and antibiotics. The private U.S. pharmaceutical companies McNeil, GlaxoSmithKline, Alcon, Hospira, Abbott, Schering Plough and Johnson & Johnson contributed to this humanitarian assistance effort with their generous donations.
These donated medicines are intended for distribution among the following health facilities in Tajikistan: Republican Clinical Oncology Centre; Republican Clinical Cardiovascular Centre; Republican Clinical Endocrinology Center; Republican Clinical Psychiatry Hospital; Republican Clinical Tuberculosis hospital; Hospitals #1 and #2 of Khatlon region; Central District Hospitals in Roghun, Yovon, Nourobod and Kulob.
It is the third airlift delivery made by Project HOPE this year. Project HOPE has been active in Tajikistan since 2001. Including this delivery it has already donated $203,100,631 worth of medical supplies to Tajikistan’s medical institutions.
The hospitals that received medicine from Project HOPE in the past praised them as being both high quality and effective.
This donation became possible thanks to the efforts of pharmaceutical companies who donated the medicine, the U.S. State Department which provided transport and runs the Humanitarian Aid Program, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health for its cooperation, and Project HOPE for coordinating all necessary activities both in the United States and Tajikistan.
