Over the past seven days, Direct Relief delivered 334 shipments of requested medical aid to 36 U.S. states and territories and 11 countries worldwide, including Ukraine.
The shipments contained 2.3 million defined daily doses of medication, including PPE, Covid-19 therapies, diabetes medication, and cancer treatments.
Today, four pallets of insulin, weighing more than one ton, arrived in Ukraine, and the 2,400-pound shipment was delivered to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, which will use the life-saving medicines to support people living with diabetes in the country.
Insulin from Direct Relief is shipped in special cold-chain shippers with monitoring devices inside, ensuring that the medications remain within a stable temperature range throughout the journey. The need for insulin in the country has reached critical levels, and Direct Relief is coordinating a regional response with the International Diabetes Federation, Ukrainian Diabetes Federation, Ukrainian Ministry of Health, Life for a Child, and the World Health Organization’s non-communicable diseases working group.
Ukraine Response to Date
Since February 24, Direct Relief has provided medical aid nearing 200 tons in weight, with more on the way.
All items were provided at the request of, and approved by, Ukraine’s Ministry of Health. Direct Relief’s medical donations have been mobilized from inventories within Ukraine, the organization’s distribution center in the Netherlands, and from emergency airlifts from the United States.
The aid requested by Ukraine and provided by Direct Relief includes a wide range of medicine, equipment and supplies, from field medic packs used by first responders providing triage care to oxygen concentrators to critical care medicines used in an ICU setting. Diabetes and hypertension medications, oncology drugs, diabetes supplies, and other urgently needed medications have also been delivered. This week a 76-ton charter departed for Ukraine, containing a 50-bed field hospital donated by the State of California, oxygen concentrations antibiotics, chronic disease medications, and more.
Direct Relief is in contact with Ministries of Health throughout the region to assess needs and is sharing information with the U.N., the European Commission, and the World Bank to coordinate relief efforts.
Response timeline
As the conflict enters its sixth week, Direct Relief’s response has included continuous infusions of medical support.
DELIVERED TO UKRAINE
March 4: 20 pallets of emergency response packs are delivered to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The packs contain trauma and first aid supplies including bandages, tourniquets, gauze, essential drugs, and personal safety gear.
March 9: 24 pallets of diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, and oncology medications are delivered to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine from within Ukraine.
March 9: 13 pallets of emergency medical supplies including emergency response packs, oxygen concentrators, an Emergency Health kit, family hygiene kits, and inhalers delivered to Ukraine-based NGO Charity Fund Modern Town & Village in Ukraine.
March 23: 22 pallets containing emergency medical supplies delivered to a northeastern city in Ukraine (location withheld for safety).
March 25: 41 pallets containing 702 10-liter oxygen concentrators to support Covid-19 and other emergency hospital care items.
March 26: 67 pallets of wound care, antibiotics, chronic disease medications, PPE, and maternal and child health supplies for Ukraine’s Ministry of Health
52 pallets of IV antibiotics, diabetes medications, and medications for hypothyroidism have been picked up from Direct Relief’s distribution center in the Netherlands and delivered to the Ministry of Health.
March 27: A FedEx 777 humanitarian charter containing approximately 153,000 pounds of medical aid, including emergency medicines and supplies, trauma and wound care medications, chronic disease medications, and more arrived in the region for delivery to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, and organizations supporting health care throughout the country.
March 27: 5 pallets of emergency medical supplies from the Netherlands distribution center were delivered to Charity Fund Modern Village and Town.
March 31: 2 pallets of an Emergency Health Kit were delivered to a Kyiv-area hospital providing charitable care, including trauma care.
April 1: 4 pallets of insulin products arrived today at the Ukrainian Ministry of Health warehouse.
IN TRANSIT
Expected to deliver this weekend: 1 pallet of insulin products from the Netherlands distribution center is expected to be delivered to Ukraine to Charity Fund Modern Village and Town.
6 pallets of 100 10L oxygen concentrators are headed to Charity Fund Modern Village and Town.
Week of April 4th: 1 pallet of insulin products from the Netherlands distribution center is expected to be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the week to a Kyiv-area hospital providing charitable care, including trauma care.
1 pallet of insulin products from the Netherlands distribution center is expected to be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the week to a northeastern city in Ukraine (location withheld for safety)
20 pallets of emergency medical supplies for Association Internationale de Cooperation Medicale are expected to arrive in Ukraine by the end of the week.
Ukraine Relief
Direct Relief is deploying emergency medical aid, from oxygen concentrators to critical care medicines – while preparing longer-term assistance to people in Ukraine displaced or affected by the war.
In the News
- CNN – “The Lead” with Jake Tapper: Direct Relief CEO Thomas Tighe Details Ukraine Response
- Fox News: Need for Humanitarian Aid is “Dire” in Ukraine: Direct Relief CEO
- Associated Press: FedEx Flight Planned to Ship Medical Supplies for Ukrainians – “The aid includes an emergency field hospital containing 50 beds, IV poles and kits, defibrillators, tourniquets and oxygen supplies, said Direct Relief, which is providing the supplies. Also included on the flight will be COVID-19 treatments, antibiotics, inhalers, wound dressings and medicines for heart, thyroid and respiratory conditions, Direct Relief said.
- Freight Week: Direct Relief works with FedEx to deliver critical aid to Ukrainian refugees – “Aid aboard the FedEx Boeing 777 cargo aircraft included an emergency field hospital donated by the State of California and substantial quantities of emergency medicines and supplies, including trauma and wound care medications, chronic disease medications, oxygen concentrators, and Covid-19 antiviral tablets. Direct Relief team members were on site for the offload and final-mile distribution to Ukraine.”
- Memphis Commercial Appeal: ‘We feel a responsibility to give back’: 76 tons of medical supplies heading to Ukraine – “The charter plane was packed from front to back with boxes of supplies, which included an emergency field hospital and substantial quantities of emergency medicines such as Tranexamic Acid to prevent bleeding, inhalers, IV fluids, oxygen concentrators and sutures. Molnupiravir, a COVID-19 treatment, was also on board.”
- Action News 5: FedEx flight with relief aid for Ukrainian refugees leaves Memphis – “On Saturday, FedEx Express team members in Memphis loaded up a Boeing 777 cargo aircraft with 76 tons of emergency medical supplies. Direct Relief, a U.S.-based humanitarian organization, coordinated the relief aid to help Ukrainian refugees.”
- CBS LA: A look at how people can help the relief effort for Ukraine – “Thomas Tighe, CEO of the nonprofit Direct Relief, talks to CBS2 News This Morning about relief efforts for victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
- ArtNet: The Artist Is Present—Again: Marina Abramović Is Restaging Her Best-Known Performance to Benefit Ukraine – “More than 1,500 people sat across from Marina Abramović during her 2010 presentation of The Artist is Present at MoMA, all of them photographed. If you missed your chance then, well you’re in luck.This month, the Serbian artist will revisit her most famous work of art for a benefit auction to aid Ukrainian relief efforts.“
- NPR: A custom LEGO company raised more than $145,000 for Ukraine Relief – “To his surprise, the president Zelenskyy Lego sold out within hours, meaning he donated $145,000 to the nonprofit Direct Relief to bring medical supplies to those affected by war.”
- PC World: Fortnite players donate $100 million to Ukraine – “After just nine days, Epic announced that it’s raised $100 million USD for its chosen relief charities… Epic is splitting 100% of the funds received among five charities: UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency, Direct Relief, and World Central Kitchen.”
- PC Gamer: Humble’s Stand With Ukraine bundle raises more than $20M in just one week – “According to the Stand With Ukraine bundle page, more than 473,900 bundles were sold, raising a grand total of $20,737,509, 100% of which will be divided between Razom for Ukraine, International Rescue Committee, International Medical Corps, and Direct Relief. “
WORLDWIDE
This week, outside the U.S., Direct Relief shipped more than 1.3 million defined daily doses of medication.
Countries that received medical aid over the past week included:
- Ukraine
- Moldova
- Pakistan
- Bolivia
- Paraguay
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Panama
- Lebanon
- Sierra Leone
- Palestinian Territories
UNITED STATES
Direct Relief delivered 312 shipments containing 1 million doses of medications over the past week to organizations, including the following:
- Clinica Esperanza, Rhode Island
- St. Vincent de Paul Clinic, Arizona
- Good News Care Center, Florida
- Morgan County Medical Center, Tennessee
- CCI – Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Free Medical Clinic of the Ozarks, Missouri
- El Proyecto del Barrio, California
- Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
- EXCELth Primary Health Care, Louisiana
YEAR TO DATE
Since January 1, 2022, Direct Relief has delivered 4,687 shipments to 1,278 healthcare organizations in 51 U.S. states and territories and 62 countries.
These shipments contained 93.1 million defined daily doses of medication valued at $438.8 million (wholesale) and weighing 6.1 million lbs.
