icddr,b Strengthening Health Systems in Bangladesh Through Major Commitment at 2011 Clinton Global Initiative

Lifesaving medical donations and hospital training will touch millions of lives

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- icddr,b, a leading international health research institution, and its partners MedShare and AmeriCares announce a commitment to support a large network of hospitals in Bangladesh by increasing quality of care and in-kind contributions of key medical supplies.  The network serves communities in extreme poverty in urban and rural Bangladesh, where millions live without access to adequate healthcare or lifesaving medicines.

Announced at this year's Clinton Global Initiative in New York City (September 20-22), the commitment will lead to the distribution of nearly $8 million worth of donated medicines and supplies and will establish best practice guidelines for patient care and treatment. The commitment will be operated and managed by icddr,b, which is providing medical professionals to oversee the training of over 7,600 employees at 12 hospitals as well as distributing the donated medical products from AmeriCares and MedShare.  Over the next three years, AmeriCares has committed to donate $6.7 million of medications and supplies; MedShare will donate $1 million of supplies and equipment.

"AmeriCares and MedShare will supply much needed medicines and hospital supplies to support our health systems strengthening efforts in Bangladesh," said Dr. Alejandro Cravioto, Executive Director of icddr,b. "The medical equipment and medicines will enable our clinical staff to improve the healthcare in some of the poorest communities in the world."

The commitment expands on icddr,b's successful experience of establishing the first and only clinical governance program in Bangladesh. As a complement to its comprehensive public health research agenda, icddr,b's two hospitals, in Dhaka and Matlab, provide care to over 225,000 patients annually and are the only healthcare facilities in Bangladesh with a formal clinical governance program. The commitment will also launch AmeriCares and MedShare's new partnership with icddr,b.

AmeriCares and MedShare are two leading charities for delivering donated medical products globally. The commitment will facilitate the provision of high-quality medicines and supplies from pharmaceutical and medical supply companies for poor patients in Bangladesh, while strengthening Bangladesh's health system and the quality of care in the participating hospitals.

"Strengthening health care systems to serve those living in extreme poverty is at the heart of MedShare's mission.  We are delighted and honored to collaborate with icddrb and AmeriCares on this Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to provide desperately-needed medical supplies and equipment to hospitals serving the poor in Bangladesh," said Meridith Rentz, CEO & President of MedShare. "This project will literally improve the quality and access to healthcare for millions and we are so very proud to be a part of it."

"In Bangladesh, doctors and nurses don't have the basic medicines and supplies they need to help patients survive," said AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. "This partnership will equip them with the critical tools they need and enable AmeriCares to realize its vision of helping many more people live longer, healthier lives."

The first shipments containing enough basic medicines and supplies to treat thousands of patients will ship to Bangladesh this fall from AmeriCares and MedShare. Eight more AmeriCares aid shipments and six MedShare shipments are planned through August of 2014.

Training of hospital staff will begin in the first hospital in Bangladesh later this year. Eleven more hospitals will be included over the next three years, culminating in a final evaluation in 2014.

About icddr,b

For more than 50 years, icddr,b has provided practical, low-cost solutions to health problems that affect billions of people living in poverty in Bangladesh, its host country, and across the globe.  Its unique proximity to the health challenges of the developing world, both urban and rural, allows for cutting-edge research that is relevant, rigorously tested, scalable in resource-limited settings, and, most importantly, improves health outcomes and well-being of individuals in low-income countries. For more information, go to www.icddrb.org.

About AmeriCares

AmeriCares is a nonprofit global health and disaster relief organization which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in need around the world and across the United States. Every day, AmeriCares products are delivered to hospitals, clinics and community health programs worldwide, giving health care providers in the poorest regions of the world the means to deliver high-quality care. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid to 147 countries.  For more information go to http://www.americares.org

About MedShare

MedShare is a US-based 501 (c) 3 organization that bridges the gap between surplus and need to improve healthcare and the environment through the efficient recovery and redistribution of surplus medical supplies and equipment to those most in need.  For more information, please visit the organization's website at www.medshare.org.

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place Sept. 20-22 in New York City.

This year, CGI also convened CGI America, a meeting focused on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States. The CGI community also includes CGI U, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Graham Judd  +88 01713485278, (917) 667-8821

[email protected]

Donna Porstner (203) 658-9579

[email protected]

Kimberly McCollum, (706) 244-1744

[email protected]

SOURCE icddr,b