Lori Warrens is the executive director of The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations
It’s the holiday season and before it’s over I will have had a bit of eggnog and dozen party conversations that go something like this….Where do you work? (I work for the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations, an alliance of pharmaceutical, health product companies and humanitarian organizations that donate billions of dollars in medical products each year to help people in developing countries. They work together to battle disease, improve health systems and even eradicate some tropical diseases.) Interesting, that must be fulfilling work. (I nod.) Who are your members? (I name a few.) What! No way, I had no idea that drug companies did that! They should tell people.
I agree. The public and healthcare professionals only learn about medical product donations through media coverage of large-scale disasters and humanitarian crises. As a result the public only hears about 5-10% of all medical donations and even then it might only be in the context of an unneeded or poor quality donation. It is also true that global health professionals do not always know where other organizations are working or what they are accomplishing. That’s a shame because for decades healthcare companies have been saving millions of lives by quietly donating billions of dollars of urgently requested quality medical products. As a result, thousands of communities are able to access the medicines and care they need, through both long-term programs and in times of natural disasters where victims suffer greatly. These programs are built through partnerships that evolved under community-based values. That is a story that should be told and starting this week there will be a new Web site for anyone wanting to learn more about medical product donations, http://www.pqmd.org/.
PQMD launched a Donations Mapping Tool on December 10 that shows where more than $4 billion worth of quality medical product donations go each year. The public view, which we hope will also be used by global health professionals and the media, shows where donations go, who sends them and how they are used. There are case studies, links to our member’s program descriptions, information about how members are responding to large-scale natural disasters, and tools for improving donation programs.
While communicating the story is important, the core purpose for the site is to support collaboration between our members and others involved in global health. It’s impossible to participate in a discussion about improving global health without hearing the call for all sectors to develop better partnerships, share more information, integrate activities and work within local systems.
PQMD decided a few years ago that moving to the next level of collaboration required a shared site that provides detailed information regarding donation shipment contents, in-country partners, facilities that use the donations, who they serve and what is needed. Because security is a serious concern in many parts of the world we have decided to keep this information private. However, members can use the system to enhance current programs, find new partners or speed up their response to disasters. PQMD staff can also use the information to provide information to other organizations and collaborations as needed.
This is uncharted territory for us (pun intended), so please check out the site and tell us what you think so that we can enhance the site in the coming year.
PROJECT IN BRAZIL BUILDING WITHOUT THE NEED FOR NATURE
ReplyDeleteAgreda.
Respect for nature!
You can help us achieve this dream?
Help us to spread this request to other pages on the internet.
Hello,
If possible, we need your assistance (donations) for this project where we want to build a house in the City of ecologically correct Pirambu - Sergipoe - Brazil.
I am Brazilian, living in the city of Aracaju - Brazil.
I have an excellent land in the tourist town of Pirambu, coastal town located 32 km. in Aracaju, Sergipe - Brazil.
Want to use my land to build a house in this area ecologically correct to show the man who can build good and beautiful places on the coast, without harming the nature.
I want to do this project, a reference in the region (Northeastern Brazil), to show the regional community and, if possible at all Brazilian who can build houses to live without the need to harm nature.
For this we need your valuable assistance in the realization of this dream (project).
I need donations, may be of material Ecological building the house, or money to buy the material for construction.
Our commitment to you is to inform you if you want the whole progress of the construction of the house until its final conclusion.
I invite you to participate in this project but will have little but their importance for the good of nature.
Let's show the man who can and should respect nature and we can build without the need to harm the environment.
For those who have help us, tell the data below the bank for donations.
BANK DO BRASIL
AGENCY 0017-7
CURRENT ACCOUNT 16880-7
ON BEHALF OF WGLCAR Wellinton Silva
Your help has two purpose the realization of our dream to build the house proper, and while this home will refeencia to show the Northeast of Brazil and perhaps for all of Brazil, we can live in well with nature without necessiade of agredila .
Sinceramenmte their collaboration will be important to realize this dream, your donation may be 1 cent or $ 1 million dollars, the important and your participation in the realization of this dream and know that every brick for this house, has your participation too.
Thank you to everyone who helped and those who might not have had more help the good intention.
Wellington Silva
City of Pirambu-Sergipe - Brazil
I am a Brazilian anonymous, but I have a duty to contribute to the preservation of nature.