06 January 2012
Emergency medicine delivery pallettes
US Ambassador Welcomes the Arrival of Primary Health Care Drugs
The first consignment of primary health care essential medicines arrived in the country on Friday January 6, 2012. This consignment, comprised of 2,124 kits of essential medicines and supplies such as antibiotics, anesthetics, gloves and needles, will be distributed to more than 600 primary health facilities as part of the Essential Drugs Project.
The Essential Drugs Project is an 18-month joint collaboration between the U.K. through DFID, Germany through KFW, Norway, UNICEF and the U.S. through USAID to address the current shortage of drugs in Malawi. An important longer-term goal of this project is to provide the Government of Malawi with support as it moves forward with the reform efforts of the Central Medical Stores. The U.K., Germany and Norway will fund the project at $33 million (about MK5.4 billion) UNICEF will procure and USAID will distribute the drugs through the DELIVER project.
Speaking on behalf of all the donors involved in this important project, Head of DFID in Malawi, Sara Sanyahumbi, said the drugs will go a long way towards addressing the critical shortage of essential drugs in Malawi for the next 18 months.
Deputy Minister for Health Ralph Jooma said that Malawi was hit by the shortage of drugs especially in the months of July and August in 2011, a development which prompted government to ask for emergency support from the donor partners. Jooma said the Government of Malawi cherishes the positive response by the donors in procuring the drugs. He said the arrival of the drugs in Malawi signified the warm relationship that exists between Malawi and the development partners.
U.S. Ambassador Jeanine Jackson joined other donors and Malawi Government officials in welcoming the arrival of the kits at Kamuzu International Airport.