IHP's Support to the international response to the Lebanon Crisis - August 2006
IHP has sent over £1,000,000 of medicines and hospital supplies to meet the specific requests of the WHO and Ministry of Health to support the work of the local and international medical teams following the recent hostilities. Assistance was offered to both the Governments of Israel and Lebanon, however only the Lebanese accepted the offer of humanitarian aid.
IHP also cooperated with its Canadian sister company to provide a single coordinated response on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry and Governments of Canada and the UK. IHP's provision of humanitarian medical aid was undertaken in coordination with the WHO, DFID and the international medical community in three phases:
- 90 medical kits: to provide a first line response; dispensed within two days of the air blockade being lifted. Each kit is in effect a mobile dispensary of 35 essential medicines, sufficient to treat up to 1,000 children and adults. Emergency kits were used by medical teams and the WHO in hospitals and clinics in over 30 villages along the border. While the air and sea blockade was in place IHP used the humanitarian corridor managed by the World Food Programme, flying medicines to Cyprus for transshipment to Lebanon by sea.
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Emergency stocks of 20 essential medicines: while Lebanon has a developed private healthcare system, the supply chain for medicines completely broke down in the area affected by the conflict, especially for the poor who do not have access to the private hospitals and clinics. In coordination with the WHO and Ministry of Health IHP provided one month's supplies of the key essential medicines for use as an emergency buffer, to prevent a secondary disaster should the hostilities recommence.
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Specific needs of UK linked Medical NGOs:
IHP has provided emergency kits, medicines, hospital and medical supplies to meet the specific requirements of a number of UK linked charities including: Caritas Lebanon (Cafod); Human Concern International and Response International which is operating with the Palestinian Red Crescent and the UN agencies working with the refugee camps.
A Close Partnership Response
Partnership working has been the key to operating effectively in Lebanon. British Airway's franchisee - British Mediterranean Airways - was the first airline to reopen commercial flights to Beirut, taking IHP humanitarian aid on their inaugural flight. Subsequently BMED has provided IHP with free freight for our medical shipments on their daily flights. The UK's response, through IHP, has been featured on Meridian TV and British Satellite News. For video feed click here.
IHP undertook an audit of our donations in Southern Lebanon September 20-24. For photo library click here.
In total 34 companies have donated product or services to make this humanitarian programme possible: Alliance Boots, Almus, AMG Cargo, Athlone Laboratories, Actavis, British Mediterranean Airways, DHL, 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, Smith & Nephew, Smiths Medical, UCB Pharma, Winthrop and Wyeth.
Over 10 NGOs and International Agencies have been received medicines from IHP as part of the UK's response, these have included: WHO, Red Cross/Red Crescent; Human Concern International, International Medical Corps, Médecins du Monde, Médecins sans Frontières, Merlin, Caritas, Response International, UNWRA.
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This site was updated on 12.05.08