The participating National Pharmacy organisations across the world will collaborate with their respective pharmacist members to distribute and display posters and other campaign materials appealing for public donations of funds in pharmacy windows and anywhere else that they can be seen by members of the public. Funds raised from the public in this way are sent to a national charity in each respective country for safe keeping and in preparation for onward transit. By combining the funds that are raised in several participating countries, significant sums can be raised for purposes of large-scale medicines procurement. The charity partner of the PDA in the UK is Salam Charity.
Following on from a successful launch of the Medicines to Africa and Medicines to Gaza initiative at the International Pharmaceutical Confederation (FIP) congress in Cape Town in September, the PDA is now starting the live fundraising effort for Medicines to Gaza in the UK. The PDA’s participation in this campaign is a continuation of the PDA’s broader involvement in humanitarian work, initially through Medicines to Ukraine and also to support the victims of the earthquake in Turkey.
The ‘Medicines To’ campaign has proven to be a successful programme which relies on the collaboration of National Pharmacy Organisations from many countries. It positions the pharmacy profession in the eyes of the public as the expert in medicines and enables the right medicines to be delivered to areas of humanitarian crisis, ensuring that the medicines are delivered to those who need it most.
Already more than £5 million of medicines has been sent to Ukraine as a result of the collaboration of several European countries. However, it is anticipated that with the support of many more National Pharmacy Organisations beyond Europe from countries right across the world, the Medicines to Gaza campaign could raise far more. Orders for desperately needed medicines have already been received from the World Health Organisation health cluster team which is on the ground in Gaza.
More information about how to request posters for this campaign and also access to the many questions that have already been asked about this campaign and the answers provided can be found here: www.medicinesto.com/gaza.
“The Medicines to Gaza campaign has been launched because of requests for help from pharmacists in Palestine who are working within a healthcare system which is completely overwhelmed. Additionally, in the UK it is responding to calls from many PDA members to seek ways to assist. We are proud to be able to announce our partnership with Salam Charity as this Charity already has extensive experience in helping the Palestinian people with food parcels and other essential supplies, making them credible and reputable partners. The launch of the Medicines to Gaza campaign is an important development of the wider ‘Medicines to…’ campaign launched by the PDA, which has supported both Turkey, when they had an earthquake and also in providing Medicines to Ukraine, a campaign which is still live. As pharmacists, providing medicines to those in need, it is in our nature to help those less fortunate than ourselves and it is a great honour to be able to further develop our humanitarian activities,” said a spokesperson from the PDA Humanitarian team.
“At Salam Charity, we recognise the vital need for unity in today’s world. The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has shown commendable leadership by collaborating with many pharmacy organisations worldwide and in launching the campaign in the UK. Their collaborative efforts highlight the significant impact we can achieve collectively. We are proud to partner with the PDA to provide much-needed medicines to Gaza. We pray for a united world where peace and equal opportunities are at the centre,” commented a representative of the Salam Charity.
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