DUSHANBE, November 17, 2011, Asia-Plus — The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe funded transportation of more than $35 million in donated medicine to Tajikistan, constituting the single largest shipment since 2001. The medicine will be distributed free of charge to hospitals and medical institutions throughout Tajikistan.
According to the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Ambassador Ken Gross participated in the handover ceremony that took place at the Dushanbe City Infectious Disease Hospital on November 17. The donation included millions of dollars worth of medicine to fight Hepatitis C, antibiotics, and oncological, cardiological, and psychiatric medication. This medicine will be given to clinics and hospitals in the cities of Dushanbe, Kulob, Qurghon Teppa, and in Khatlon and Sughd provinces.
Private U.S. companies and U.S. subsidiaries of international pharmaceutical companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, Lundbeck, Merck, Hospira and Allergan, donated the medicine, and the U.S. Department of State provided transportation. Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere), in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, selected hospitals most in need of medical aid and coordinated the distribution of the supplies.
This is the fourth Project HOPE delivery to Tajikistan this year. Project HOPE is an international health care organization that has been active in Tajikistan since 2002. Project HOPE has provided a total of $322 million worth of medicine and medical supplies to Tajikistan. Since 1992, the American people have provided more than $984 million in programs and humanitarian aid that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, and economic growth.
