Medicine for All People, a club established this spring, plans to ship medical supplies donated by U.S. hospitals and health clinics to needy hospitals in Western Africa and the Caribbean within the next few months.
The club's main purpose is to "get hold of [wasted U.S. medical supplies] and give them to people who really need them," said president Emily Seen '08.
The club is working with one hospital in Nigeria and four in Jamaica. Members are also in contact with organizations that work to achieve similar purposes, such as Prohealth International and DrUMM (Doctors for United Medical Missions).
The hospitals send Medicine for All People lists of needed supplies, and the group petitions the supply managers of hospitals in the United States for those supplies.
No supplies have been sent yet. Plans to send a shipment last spring were stymied by a lack of funds, though the club is planning to raise money to compensate for the cost of global shipping. Though fundraising plans are not definite, Seen said they might incorporate the performing arts.
Seen said the club is also hoping to buy medical supplies directly from manufacturers at a discounted rate. Medicine will not be purchased, however, for legal reasons. "If someone gets sick, we're liable," said vice president Amber Wedges '08.
According to Seen, approximately $200 million in medical supplies is wasted in the United States every year because of opened packages that have been discarded, items that are not yet expired but past the "sell by" date, surpluses in hospitals and damage in the supplies used.
"Manufacturers have a onetime-only warranty, so they throw [supplies] away," Seen said. "Or, sometimes there's just a surplus. [Hospitals] don't want a lot of something [they're] not using."
The club also hopes to promote awareness of its project through speakers and events on campus. Details remain vague.
The club is working with Owo Town Hospital in Nigeria and four hospitals in Jamaica: Spanish Town Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital, Lionel Town Hospital and Hanover Health Services/Noel Holmes Hospital.
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