DUSHANBE, January 24, Asia-Plus  -- On January 18h, the U.S. State Department financed the delivery of more than $5 million of donated medicine provided by Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) to 11 hospitals and health facilities in Tajikistan, including: the National Medical Center, the Republican Clinical Urology Center, the Republican Clinical Center of Cardio-Vascular Surgery, Khatlon Oblast Hospital #1 in Qurghon-Teppa, Khatlon Oblast Hospital #2 in Kulob, the Central District Hospital of Shahrinav, the Central District Hospital of Danghara, the Central District Hospital of Hissor, the Central District Hospital of Varzob, the Central District Hospital of Vahdat, and the Central District Hospital of Tursunzoda, press release issued by the US Embassy said.     

The medical assistance includes antibiotics, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory agents, gastro-intestinal medicine, eye drops, pain killers, dextrose solutions and anti-asthmatic medicine.  The following private American pharmaceutical companies have contributed to this humanitarian assistance effort with their generous donations: Merck, Glaxo-Smith-Klein, McNeil, Alcon, Hospira, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb. 

This is the first Project HOPE donation in Tajikistan in 2008, and at least three more are planned for this year.  Project HOPE has been active in Tajikistan for six years, during which they have provided a total of $152,123,024 to Tajikistan’s medical institutions.

The hospitals that have already received medicines from Project HOPE have praised all these medications as being very high quality and effective.

These donations are a cooperative effort between pharmaceutical companies that donate medicine, the U.S. State Department, which provides transport and manages a Humanitarian Aid Program, Tajikistan''s Ministry of Health, and Project HOPE, which coordinates all necessary activities, both in the United States and Tajikistan to make deliveries safely and without delay.