665 Shipments Depart for 12 Countries Over the Past Week

Humanitarian aid shipments staged at Direct Relief's global distribution facility in California on Oct. 20, 2023. (Photo: Tony Morain / Direct Relief)

By Staff

October 20, 2023

Over the past seven days, Direct Relief has delivered 665 shipments of requested medical aid to 48 U.S. states and territories and 12 countries worldwide.

The shipments contained 7.2 million defined daily doses of medication, including rare disease therapies, anticoagulants, cholera treatment medications, chronic disease medications, PPE, and more.

Hospital in India Increases Capacity for Infectious Disease Diagnosis

Direct Relief staff attended the inauguration of the new Direct Relief Centers of Excellence in Infectious and Respiratory Diseases at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, India. This is the culmination of a three-year project increasing capacity for DMH as the country’s leading center of infectious and respiratory diseases.

Direct Relief staff visit Deenatath Mangeshkar Hospital. (Courtesy photo)

The center now has improved diagnostic testing and state-of-the-art capability to process fast and accurate lab results, which guides treatment and ultimately drives positive health outcomes and helps tackle challenges like drug-resistant infectious diseases. DMH is now also one of the few centers in the country with the capacity and capability to track COVID-19 and other viral variants.

DMH is one of the largest hospitals in Maharashtra and is a private charitable hospital, offering the same level of health services to everyone without exception and based on a sliding payment scale depending on ability to pay.

A dedication ceremony for the new facility. (Courtesy photo)

Direct Relief has provided more than $ 2 million in financial support to the hospital, including infrastructure and oxygen capacity and operational response for patient care during COVID-19.

Humanitarian Response to Israel-Hamas War 

The Gaza blockade resulting from the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel has halted established aid routes that, historically, have been the approved channels through which Direct Relief has provided medical aid to people in Gaza, consistent with U.S. law and the Israeli government’s approval.

As the stage is set for humanitarian aid to flow from Egypt into Gaza, Direct Relief is actively working to resume medical aid shipments in coordination with global agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and in accordance with U.S. sanctions and Israeli authorities’ approval.

Moreover, Direct Relief continues to support its longstanding regional partners, including Anera, an international nonprofit registered in both the U.S. and Israel, which has a long record of providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Medical aid for Anera in Gaza and the West Bank is staged for delivery at Direct Relief’s headquarters on October 18, 2023. The aid was prepared prior to the Israel-Hamas war but was held pending the reopening of a humanitarian corridor into the Palestinian territories. (Direct Relief staff photo)

Direct Relief has nine medical aid consignments prepared and ready to ship via air from its medical distribution facility to Gaza and the West Bank, which Anera requested before the terror attack last week by Hamas. Packed with essential medications, including chronic disease drugs, these shipments were placed on hold pending confirmation of their proper storage, safe transit, and pre-arranged clearances with Israeli and other relevant authorities.

Direct Relief has also approved a $100K emergency grant to help Anera evacuate its Gaza staff and support their ongoing efforts to assist civilians in Gaza amid a pressing and rapidly unfolding humanitarian situation.

This follows Direct Relief’s commitment of $1 million in financial assistance to Israel in response to last week’s terror attack by Hamas.

NGOs, Healthcare Companies Convene at Direct Relief

This week, Direct Relief hosted more than 100 attendees at its Santa Barbara, California, headquarters as part of the semi-annual meeting of the Partnership of Quality Medical Donations, or PQMD, an association of healthcare companies and NGOs focused on ensuring high standards in medical supply and service donations.

PQMD member representatives at Direct Relief’s California headquarters. (Photo: Direct Relief)

In addition to humanitarian nonprofit organizations, the meeting also included representatives from healthcare manufacturing companies, including Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BD, Baxter, Boehringer Ingelheim, Edwards, GSK, Hikma, Lilly, Medtronic, Merck, Pfizer and Vertex.