Lebanon Crisis - IHP sends first shipment of medicines from the UK

Sussex based charity, International Health Partners, has today sent the first shipment of medical aid from the UK to those affected by the war in Lebanon. Over 30,000 treatments of essential medicines have been sent by IHP. DHL are transporting the medicines by air to Cyprus on Tuesday 1 August, from where they will be transshipped on Wednesday to Lebanon for the World Health Organisation (WHO). 30 Doctors Travel Packs (effectively mobile dispensaries) have been sent to the medical teams on the ground in Lebanon to help treat some of the 700,000 displaced people. These medicines will provide an immediate stop gap for the WHO and medical teams while a longer term programme of donated medicines is being established.

Anthony Dunnett, President of IHP commented: “While there are some medicines in the country, we are reliably informed that, to date, many local retailers are not willing or able to make them available in bulk to meet the needs of those who have had to leave their homes and have lost most of what they have”.

Logistics are of particular concern in conflict situations; however IHP’s programme has come under the UN umbrella and coordinated by the World Food Programme agents in Cyprus and Damascus.

Anthony Dunnett also noted “Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the conflict, many individuals, pharmaceutical company employees and management teams are asking “what can we do” in order to help meet the humanitarian needs? Since the Disaster Emergency Committee has not yet issued an appeal, IHP is putting out an appeal for:

• Product Donations of the Requested Medicines & Supplies from Pharmaceutical companies, and
• Financial Donations from concerned individuals and companies who do not have the specific medicines that are required to donate.

Each £1 donated to IHP enables IHP to send over £20 of medicines to the recipients (based on our experience from the Tsunami and Pakistan earthquake). Funds donated will be used to meet the shipping and handling costs, and to purchase medicines that cannot easily be sourced from donations. Medicines should not be donated by individuals, doctors or pharmacists, since small donations of specific medicines cannot easily be coordinated and confuse the relief effort. Financial Donations can be made by accessing the IHP website (www.ihpuk.org). We would encourage individual donors, wherever possible, to make use of the Gift Aid options available.

Media Contact: Jenina Bas + 44 (0) 7971 551 778 / jbas@pendrywhite.com