DHL Express has teamed up with the global relief and development agency Mercy Corps to send $9.6million worth of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to southern Iraq to help treat 140,000
people.The emergency supplies will be distributed to hospitals in Iraqi cities that are short onresources and near the frontlines of recent fighting. Mercy Corps expects that the shipment willhelp 140,000 people get improved medical care.
DHL Express in Asia, Europe and the Middle East worked in tandem to contribute expenses andhandle the cross-border transport of the shipment from the Netherlands to Kuwait. From Kuwait,where the shipment arrived on April 27, Mercy Corps expects to deliver the supplies into Iraq bythe first week of May.
The shipment will be distributed to hospitals in Kut, Diwaniyah, Basra and Amarah that aretreating large numbers of wounded and victims of trauma, as well as patients with infections andwater-borne diseases. The shipment includes antibacterial drugs, medicines to fight infections andparasites, anesthetics and diuretics, as well as gauze, surgical blades, examination gloves,needles and syringes.
“Many hospitals in the south have depleted their stocks of medicines and other supplies sothis shipment is critical,” said Paul Butler, Mercy Corps’ Iraq country director. “Logistics can bea major barrier to emergency relief, especially in volatile places like Iraq. We’re grateful to DHLExpress for helping us get resources to people in dire need.”
Dan McHugh, CEO of DHL Express – Asia Pacific, said: “At DHL, our core competence islogistics. Together with our colleagues in DHL Express Europe and DHL Express Emerging Markets, weare proud to utilize our extensive global reach to help Mercy Corps successfully deliver relief tocommunities, in this hour of need, in the fastest and most efficient way possible.”
Mercy Corps has provided humanitarian assistance to millions of Iraqis since 2003.
