Four PQMD members – International Health Partners, Project HOPE, International Medical Corps and Medical Teams International – respond to the Ukraine crisis
International Health Partners (IHP) is responding with other PQMD members, Project HOPE, International Medical Corps and Medical Teams International, to the escalating conflict in Ukraine with multiple shipments of essential medicines.
“Primary healthcare almost doesn’t exist in Ukraine right now, and every day I receive medical needs lists from hospitals around the country which are rapidly running out of supplies,” said Chris Skopec, Executive Vice President, Global Health at Project HOPE.
As part of the first wave of response IHP is shipping Essential Health Packs (EHPs), which are prepacked, portable kits filled with a range of essential medicines such as antibiotics and analgesics and enable the swift delivery of critical, reliable medicines in places where people wouldn’t otherwise be able to obtain them. The packs include a number of products donated by fellow PQMD corporate partners, without whom, these relief efforts would not be possible.
Project HOPE: Project HOPE is on the ground actively delivering medical supplies and other urgent assistance in Ukraine and surrounding countries. IHP sent an initial shipment of 45 EHPs to Project HOPE which arrived in Ukraine on 23 March and will be used to support the emergency response team in providing health and humanitarian relief. Additional shipments to Project HOPE are expected to follow.
International Medical Corps: International Medical Corps is currently supporting mobile medical and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services for those living in areas affected by the war. International Medical Corps is working closely with the Ukraine Ministry of Health to help contain the spread of infectious disease, including COVID-19, providing critical infection prevention and control (IPC) training for healthcare facility staff and promoting proper hygiene among community members. The team already operated in Ukraine before the conflict began and has deployed additional staff to Poland and Romania to provide critical supplies and programmes at Ukraine’s borders.
IHP is sending an initial shipment of 27 EHPs to International Medical Corps which departed the UK on 25 March. Further shipments are expected to follow.
Medical Teams International
When the conflict began, Medical Teams immediately coordinated with multiple partners to deliver aid to Ukrainians in need. Currently, Medical Teams is responding to the influx of Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and is deploying teams of doctors and nurses to provide health care to Ukrainian families at refugee accommodation centres and border crossings. It is also training a team of local volunteers to provide psychological first aid and wider mental health support.
IHP will be supporting Medical Teams’ efforts in Moldova with a shipment of 14 EHPs, due to be sent very shortly.
All four PQMD members have been able to respond rapidly together to the developing crisis in part, because of their shared values and adherence to industry practices like those laid out in the PQMD guidelines.
“Working with fellow PQMD members, who adhere to the same guidelines as we do, gives us an extra level of assurance that all our medicines will be handled safely and securely,” says Adele Paterson, CEO at International Health Partners.
To donate to our Ukraine Disaster Fund please click here. Any excess funds received for this response will be used to facilitate responses to other emergencies.
For further information please contact Hazel Brearley at [email protected] or call (020) 3735 5489.
Notes for editors:
About International Health Partners:
International Health Partners (IHP) is a global health NGO working to improve access to healthcare for people in disaster-hit, and vulnerable communities, by coordinating the safe and responsible donation of long-dated and quality medical products. Working with our strong network of global healthcare partners, we source and send medicines to support people around the world. We respond rapidly to humanitarian disasters, support long-term healthcare development projects and equip medics with supplies to carry out their work. IHP bridges the gap between healthcare companies and humanitarian agencies, helping individuals and communities access the essential medicine and health supplies they need.
Our vision is to see a world in which all suffering due to a lack of healthcare is eradicated.
