NEWS RELEASE Monday, 24 January 2005
£1.5M ESSENTIAL MEDICINES AIRLIFTED TO SRI LANKA and MALDIVES
FIRST COORDINATED INDUSTRY DONATION IN UK
In the first coordinated industry donation of medical supplies for disaster relief in the UK, International Health Partners, the charity coordinating donations of medical supplies from the UK healthcare industry for WHO, UN and Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) relief programmes in the tsunami affected countries, is today sending a shipment of £1.5 million essential medicines to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The shipment was put together by IHP on behalf of the Government and the UK pharmaceuticals industry, based on the requirements of on-site emergency teams run by the WHO and the national ministries of health in Colombo and Male.
At the airport warehouse are (from left): Andrew Curl, Deputy Director General of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI); Faisz Musthapha, High Commissioner for Sri Lanka; Anthony Dunnett, President of IHP, the charity co-ordinating the pharmaceutical industry donations; and Hassan Sobir, High Commissioner of the Maldives.
Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for the Department for International Development, said: “I greatly welcome this initiative from the UK's pharmaceutical and medical supplies industries. These medicines and supplies will help the medical teams on the ground and, by having International Health Partners liaising closely with these teams, we can ensure that what is needed gets delivered. The Department for International Development is happy to support this initiative.”
Eight companies were involved in the £1.5 million airlift to Sri Lanka and the Maldives – CD Medical (Lancashire), Genus Pharmaceuticals (Surrey), IVAX (London), Keyline Brands (Berkshire), Lilly UK (Hampshire), Medex Medical (Lancashire), Wyeth Consumer Healthcare (Ireland), and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (Hampshire).
The 65 pallets of essential medicines being airlifted are sufficient to treat over 75,000 men, women and children. IHP president Anthony Dunnett said: “By sourcing products as requested by the emergency teams, we have been able to turn every £1 of aid into over £20 of medicines and supplies delivered to the hospitals and clinics in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. I would like to thank those companies that have donated so generously, and look forward to working with them in meeting the medical needs of tsunami victims, who will need our support for months and years to come.”
This is the first time a coordinated industry donation of medical supplies for disaster relief has been organised in the UK, facilitating a practical partnership between Governments, industry, NGOs and the WHO’s international relief teams on the ground. In addition to the pharmaceutical company donors, shipping and handling costs have been met with contributions from World Jewish Relief, two other charitable foundations, a Sri Lankan business, and a promise of funding support from DfID. The freight forwarding agents Speed International and Durbin, the shipping insurance agent ADS Insurance Services, and Sri Lanka Airlines have all provided deeply discounted rates and/or donated their services.
Andrew Curl, Deputy Director General of the ABPI said: “Many individual pharmaceutical companies have already responded to the crisis with their own substantial donations, whether in cash or by providing medicines. It is my hope that this shipment of much-needed medical supplies will provide a very practical and effective aid to the men, women and children caught up in this dreadful crisis. I would like to encourage any other companies considering donations to contact the IHP."
The approach of sourcing specifically requested product donations delivers excellent value for money for both the tax payer and donor, releasing valuable Government grants and public donations from having to be spent on purchasing the required medicines and medical supplies.
Responding on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government, High Commissioner Faisz Mustapha said: “These industry donations of antibiotics, pain killers, vitamins, and antiseptics will save many lives. Such a coordinated and timely airlift of precisely the medical supplies we require has only been possible because IHP acts as a ‘one stop shop’ for UK industry donations.”
High Commissioner Hassan Sobir, speaking on behalf of the Government of the Maldives, commented: “The tsunami has destroyed a large number of the hospitals and clinics in our small country. This donation of medical supplies will go a long way to re-supply and equip these centres. Heartfelt thanks go to British industry and IHP from our people.”
For more information:
Anthony Dunnett + 44 (0) 7801 978 290 or +44 (0) 1892 784 118
Jenina Bas +44 (0) 7971 551 778 or + 44 (0) 20 7549 1672 jbas@pendrywhite.com
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Note to Editors
In the first week of January 2005 the five industry associations which collectively support the 5,000 companies that constitute the UK pharmaceutical and medical supplies industries asked IHP to coordinate an organised response to the tsunami earthquake disaster. While a few of the multinational companies are party to a global corporate response, the staff and management of many UK based companies or UK subsidiaries do not have the connections or ability safely to contribute the products they produce. The UK is the largest exporting nation in the world of pharmaceutical and medical supplies.
Since the tsunami earthquake disaster, IHP has established a working relationship with DfID, the WHO and Ministries of Health in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia. The charity is aware of, and is responding to, their present and unfolding needs for medicines and supplies. Details of every offer of donated product from a company (e.g. specification, lot numbers and dating) is shared with the in-country WHO and MoH teams for their approval. Only when this is received does IHP accept the offer from the company and arrange for shipment to the local disaster team. IHP undertakes a range of functions: sourcing the medicines from the industry; quality control (checking lot numbers and dating); preparation, packaging and shipment; and post delivery audit.
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH PARTNERS
IHP was established last year, and officially launched with cross-party and Government support in November 2004. IHP’s programmes and processes build on the models that have operated successfully in North America for many years. Until IHP was established, there was no intermediary in the UK (or in Europe) enabling and handling donations of medical supplies for the UK industry, the largest exporter of pharmaceutical and medical supplies in the world.
IHP was set up to be the competent and trusted intermediary between industry donors, and relief agencies and development organisations providing medical healthcare in the developing world so that they can safely and efficiently donate and use supplies where they are needed. No other charity does this in the UK.
The potential for donated medical supplies from the UK is estimated at over £50m.
IHP accredits NGOs, and audits and provides feedback on donations to ensure that there is appropriate clinical distribution and no diversion of product into local markets. IHP also coordinates the response for donated medical supplies, ensuring, wherever possible, that they are directed to projects that strategically work with the healthcare programmes agreed by the local community.
IHP brings together the five stakeholder groups involved in healthcare, so that they can work to improve health conditions in the developing world. The five stakeholders are: the pharmaceutical and healthcare supplies industries (represented by the ABPI, ABHI, BAPW, BGMA, and the PAGB); the Medical Community (BMA, Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Royal Colleges); non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and five Departments of Government (HMT, DfID, DoH, DTI, ODPM/No 10).
- Review the IHP website for further information