33 BRITISH COMPANIES UNITE TO SEND 5 TONS OF MEDICAL AID TO LEBANON

IHP is today sending over two tons of hospital supplies, bringing to five tons the total UK medical aid to Lebanon. Over 33 companies have supported the UK response to the humanitarian crisis, which has been coordinated by International Health Partners to support the work of the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working with international aid organizations and the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Over 33 companies have supported the UK response, which has been coordinated by International Health Partners.

Today’s consignment [see also this video clip] is part of the donation by Smiths Medical. Thirty other pharmaceutical companies have donated their products to meet specific requests of the WHO and Ministry of Health in Lebanon: Alliance Unichem Boots, Almus, Athlone Laboratories, Actavis, Durbin, Flexicare Medical, Galderma, Generics UK, Genus Pharma, Goldshield, Janssen-Cilag, Kent Pharmaceuticals, Keyline Brands, Lamberts Healthcare, Lifescan UK, Liquid Plastics, Meadow Labs, Niche Generics, Novartis Consumer, Pfizer Consumer, PLIVA, Proctor & Gamble, Ranbaxy, Roche Pharma, Sanofi-Aventis, Seven Seas, Smiths Medical, UCB Pharma, Winthrop and Wyeth.

In addition three UK companies have donated their services to get these medicines to where they are needed. British Mediterranean Airways is shipping the supplies free of charge, and DHL and AMG have donated their handling services as part of their corporate social responsibility commitment.

Srini Seshadri, Managing Director of Smiths Medical, said: “We are delighted to be able to donate this medical equipment to the World Health Organization to assist them in their valuable work.”

Anthony Dunnett, President of International Health Partners UK, said: “The UK’s humanitarian response to the needs of those caught up in the recent hostilities has been a true partnership effort. 33 British companies and their employees have worked together with IHP to donate the products they make, or offer the skills and services they have, to make a real difference to the lives of those most affected. I would also like to thank Smiths Medical, DHL and British Airways franchise partner, BMED, for their generosity in helping get this week’s shipments of vital hospital supplies to Lebanon.”

At the outbreak of the recent hostilities in July, in discussion with the Ministry of Health and WHO, IHP was asked to coordinate two phases of donated medical aid. Firstly, IHP was asked to provide emergency medical kits for immediate use in the field. Secondly, recognising the collapse of the local infrastructure and medicines supply chain, the WHO requested donations of a month’s supply of the 55 most needed medicines to ensure that there were sufficient supplies to meet the immediate needs.

Background Notes for Editors:

Current Programmes and Projects
Key Facts:
• • Over 40 Companies have donated product to IHP.
• • IHP is supporting the poor and victims of disasters in 20 countries: Afghanistan; Angola; Bangladesh; Bulgaria; Cambodia; Chad; Cuba; Democratic Republic of Congo; Gaza & Bethlehem; Lebanon; Maldives; Malawi; Nigeria; Pakistan; Philippines; Romania; Sri Lanka; Thailand and Zambia.
• • Total product donations have exceeded £12m.
• • IHP fully endorses and complies with the WHO’s Guidelines for Drug Donations.

IHP's support for Disasters:
• • Following the tsunami, IHP coordinated product donations of essential medicines and supplies from 15 companies totaling £3.5m. These were shipped to the WHO and Ministry of Health emergency teams in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
• • Donations of medical supplies totaling £75k were sent to the Maldives under a programme supervised by the WHO and Ministry of Health there.
• • Donated medicines were sent to the flood victims in Eastern Europe through the Red Cross and World Jewish Relief.
• • For the South Asian earthquake, by the end of February, IHP had coordinated vaccines, medicines and Doctors Travel Packs donated by 30 companies with a total value of £2.5m, working principally with the WHO, DFID and Islamic Relief.
• • A shipment of £5m of Meningitis vaccine donated by Baxter was sent to Kashmir in March 2006 to provide protection for earthquake victims given a number of outbreaks of the disease.

Other Projects and Programmes:
• • IHP’s first shipment was £100k of vitamins to the WHO and Ministry of Health in Afghanistan in conjunction with IHP’s Canadian sister organisation.
• • The Doctor’s Travel Programme was launched in October 2005 – 45 of the first pilot programme of 50 packs had be sent abroad with UK Doctors in the five months since the programme launch.
• • In February and March 2006 IHP has and is sending £1m in much needed medicines to treat the poor in Cuba, a country with an excellent medical system but with few medicines to distribute.

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