DUSHANBE, April 24, Asia-Plus — The U.S. Department of State has delivered $3,762,183 worth of donated medical supplies to 14 medical institutions in Tajikistan. The supplies, which arrived last week on an AN-12 cargo plane, are offered free of charge to patients with limited means, press release issued by the US Embassy in Dushanbe said.
At the April 24 handover ceremony at the Republican Clinical Center of Cardiology, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Tom Hushek said, “This program demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the United States to support the healthcare system and people in need in Tajikistan.”
The delivery of medical supplies is part of a U.S. government-sponsored program that began in 2001. In response to the 2008 winter energy crisis, this shipment includes supplies such as Pneumovax 23, a vaccine that protects people – especially children – who may be vulnerable to pneumonia as a result of malnourishment and weakened immune systems. Other supplies, which were donated by eight major pharmaceutical companies, include antibiotics, cardiovascular drugs, anti-allergics, anti-inflammatory agents, gastro-intestinal medicines, eye drops, pain killers, and dermatological drugs.
The U.S. Department of State has partnered with Project HOPE’s humanitarian assistance program to coordinate the project. With this delivery, Project HOPE has donated $157 million of medical supplies to Tajikistani medical institutions since 2002. 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.
In addition to the medical supplies, the U.S. government in the past two months has provided $2.5 million of food, clothing, fuel, blankets, and cash distributions to vulnerable people in response to the winter crisis. Since 1993, the American people have provided more than $300 million in assistance programs that support humanitarian programs, economic growth, democratic institutions, health care, and education systems of Tajikistan.
