AmeriCares Delivers $1Million in Medical Aid to Nepal

AmeriCares, the Stamford-based international relief agency, airlifted 14 tons of emergency medical aid to Kathmandu on Tuesday to resupply hospitals and mobile medical teams treating earthquake survivors.

The chartered aircraft landed around 8:30 p.m. local time carrying nearly $1 million in antibiotics, pain relievers, sutures, bandages, crutches and intravenous fluids for thousands of children and adults injured in the April 25 earthquake. The medicine and supplies were requested by recipient organizations and approved by the World Health Organization.

Up to 90 percent of medical facilities are severely damaged in the most affected areas, creating an urgent need for emergency medical care and supplies. An AmeriCares emergency response team from India arrived in Kathmandu within 48 hours of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake to treat survivors in the streets with medicine they hand-carried into the disaster zone.

“Our medical teams are treating an average of 120 patients a day,” AmeriCares Senior Vice President of Global Programs Dr. E. Anne Peterson said from Kathmandu where she is working on the relief efforts. “We are seeing children with trauma injuries, diarrhea, fever and respiratory illnesses who haven’t had access to a doctor. We are committed to restoring health services for survivors.”

The medicine and medical supplies on the airlift will support hospitals and mobile medical teams treating survivors in Kathmandu as well as those in rural areas impacted by the country’s worst earthquake in over 80 years. Nearly all of the pharmaceuticals and medical supplies were donated by health care companies including Actavis, Baxter, BD, Cardinal Health, Fresenius Kabi USA, GSK, Johnson & Johnson and Purdue Pharma. The chartered flight was funded by the GE Foundation.

AmeriCares also is supporting medical teams from the U.S. and India treating earthquake survivors. A New York City Medics team outfitted with medicine and supplies from AmeriCares is treating survivors in hard-hit areas of Dhading District.

To donate to AmeriCares Nepal Relief Fund go to www.americares.org/nepalearthquake or call 800- 486-HELP.

Photo: Dr. Swati Jha of AmeriCares treats a 7-year-old earthquake survivor’s infected wounds during a medical camp in Arughat, in Gorkha District on Friday, May 1. Credit: Matthew McDermott/AmeriCares.

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