not clear...what exactly do you need? Thanks.
Nir Ofek, Aug 26, 2007 @ 05:32

Nick Simons Institute and Simon Foundation. Marilyn and Jim Simons are very interested and already involved with Nepalese health care. You may find the resources and be more effective.
colorado, Aug 28, 2007 @ 19:38

i have a complete list that i can e mail if you like.
Otherwise, the medicine are mainly antibiotics, pain killers, anti inflammatories, de wormings, nutritionnal supplements...
Medical equipement is also welcome.

Thanks for our interest
clairanne, Aug 29, 2007 @ 17:21

All supplies will be checked by qulified practitioners / chemists before they are sent there, right ? I know some medications age well long beyond the expiery date, some don't. But nice initiative anyhow ! :-)
Hobbes, Aug 29, 2007 @ 18:09

I really admire this good intention and hate to discourage a young good heart.

However, I am a bit concerned about collecting random personal medications and donating them to people who we know little about. I assume no one is trying to donate their personal medication that requires a doctor's prescription since it is a wrong thing to do. Even generally safe, self-medicated OTC (over-the-counter) drugs, like painkiller, fever relievers, the basic principle in medicine safety: “Do not share your medicine with other people and do not take other people's medicine” still principally makes sense.

How to ensure a good intention lead to a good consequence? Can we really donate drugs properly to a remote resources-restricted area via collecting random individual’s unfinished/unused drugs? I really doubt this.

The medicine we have here, labeled mostly in French and German….Can we assure all drugs collected be properly translated in English(or local language) indicating the generic name, dose and the date of expiry etc? Can we assure drugs collected randomly are appropriate for the local prevalent diseases? Can we assure the competence of the people who are going to dispensing them? Do random individual drug donors really know their drugs? Can we simply just clean up our personal pharmacy and give them to people we think they will need?

Drug donation to third world countries has been a complicated issue. A lot of cases caused negative consequences.

Even some institution’s distribution of “unused” drugs from developed countries to needed hospitals in developing world has caused a lot of troubles. Some are unethical dumping….not based on NEED of people but simply because there were UNUSED drugs need to be dealt with...

Just name a few outrageous historical ones

“Eritrea received seven truck loads of expired aspirin tablets that took six months to burn; a container full of unsolicited cardiovascular drugs with two months to expiry; and 30 000 bottles of expired amino acid infusion that could not be disposed of anywhere near a settlement because of the smell. “ War torn southern Sudan received donations of contact lens solution, appetite stimulants, drugs against hypercholesterolaemia, and expired antibiotics, all labeled in French. Of all drugs received by the World Health Organisation field office in Zagreb in 1994, 15% were completely unusable and 30% were not needed. By the end of 1995, 340 tons of expired drugs were stored in Mostar. Most of these were donated by European nations, and the mayor has written to the European Union requesting international help to have them destroyed.”
(Quoted from British Medical Journal 1997;314:737 (8 March))

Good intention should be appreciated, real action is even more critical. However, good consequence is what we really want in reality.

wayne, Aug 30, 2007 @ 00:19

To ensure a good intention lead to a good consequence

Hi Clairanne, I hope you are not discouraged by my previous post. I am sorry if you do.

I was thinking, after posting, if there are other ways to sustain your good intention and lead to a more likely good consequence.

Here are suggestions.

I recommend you to visit the website of the Central Tibetan Administration, CTA (Tibetan government in exile in Nepal). http://www.tibet.net/health/eng/help/drugmnul/.

In collaboration with CTA, Department of Health, the State of Nepal is providing primary health care to Tibetans in exiles and locals in both India and Nepal.

They mostly live in isolated settlements scattered thought out the reign. DoH Nepal has issued a Guideline for Donation of Drugs and other Medical Supplies which includes an essential drugs needed list.

You contact your local counterpart in Nepal who are setting up this remote clinic. You ask them to provide a very specific list of drugs and medial supplies they really need in local. Let’s assume this is the real NEED of Tibetan/Nepali people you kindly want to help. Now, we need to find who can SUPPLY drugs in this wish list. (Apart from good-hearted Glocalers like Tinkie, Nir, Colorado and Hobbes).

The DOH Nepal guide actually indicated “Many PHC (primary health Care) centers rely on donated drugs, which are often inappropriate for the local disease and level of competence of the person who is dispensing them.”

This is typical mistake I mentioned in my previous post… and we want to avoid here in your case... You need to find out which organizations in Switzerland and France have donated drugs to developing countries. Pharmaceutical companies, faith-based hospitals, MSF, Red Cross, WHO etc??

A simple step is to write a letter attached with this wish list, or call to ask these organizations to donate exactly what is being requested by your local counterpart in Nepal.

You also need to ask them to pay the shipment. I do not want you to be in trouble since importing significant amount of medication more than your personal need is illegal in many countries.

Given your good will and knowledge from both sides(donors and recipient) you should be a good matcher maker. The WHO essential drug program is specialized in this issue. You may want to contact them or visit their websites. They might provide good information for you to be a good drug donation-receiving matchmaker. (I hope they are not going to discourage you as much as I did).

Nepal is really a terrific and unique country to visit. I loved it. Good luck with your mission and have a safe and nice trip.

wayne, Aug 30, 2007 @ 01:11

Hi Clairanne, I hope you are not discouraged by my previous post. I am sorry if you do.

I was thinking, after posting the previous one, if there are other ways to sustain your good intention and lead to a more likely good consequence.

Here are some personal experiences and suggestions.

I recommend you to visit the website of the Central Tibetan Administration, CTA (Tibetan government in exile in Nepal). http://www.tibet.net/health/eng/help/drugmnul/. In collaboration with CTA, Department of Health, the State of Nepal is providing primary health care to Tibetans in exiles and locals in both India and Nepal. They mostly live in isolated settlements scattered thought out the reign.

DoH Nepal has issued a Guideline for Donation of Drugs and other Medical Supplies which includes an essential drug list. You contact your local counterpart in Nepal who are setting up this remote clinic. You ask them to provide a very specific list of drugs and medial supplies they really need.

Let’s assume this is the real NEED of Tibetan/Nepali people you kindly want to help. Now, we need to find who can SUPPLY drugs in this wish list. (Apart from good-hearted Glocalers like Tinkie, Nir, Colorado and Hobbes).

The DOH Nepal guide actually indicated “Many PHC (primary health Care) centers rely on donated drugs, which are often inappropriate for the local disease and level of competence of the person who is dispensing them.” This is typical mistake I mentioned in my previous post… and we want to avoid here in your case...

You need to find out which organizations in Switzerland or Francehave have donated drugs to needed developing countries. Swiss pharmaceutical companies, faith-based hospitals, MSF, Red Cross, WHO etc??

A simple step is to write a letter attached with this wish list asking these organizations to donate exactly what is being requested by your local medical counterpart in Nepal.

You also need to ask them to pay shipment. I do not want you to be in trouble since importing significant amount of medication more than your personal need without proper documentation is illegal in many countries.

Given your good will and knowledge from both sides(donors and recipient) you should be a good matcher makers for both demand and supply sides. The WHO essential drug program is specialized in this issue. You may contact them or visit their websites.

They might be providing good information for you to be a good drug donation-receiving matchmaker. (I hope they are not going to discourage you as much as I did).

Nepal is really a terrific and unique country to visit. I loved it. Good luck with your mission and have a safe and nice trip.

wayne, Aug 30, 2007 @ 01:20

Wayne - those are very relevant questions.

There is that everlasting dilemma. Should we be guided by: primum non nocere, or primum succerrere; that is: first do no harm, or first hasten to help.

I struggle with that question.

To me, in most cases, giving makes sense when it provides the lasting foundation to answers, rather than providing a temporary answer. I feel that it is better to help someone learn how to fish, than to give away a fish every day. The real measure of success is when the giving leads to skills that the recipient becomes far better than those who humbly helped.

Clairanne, and initiatives from folks like her, are precious. And if helping others learn skills is part of the motivating principle, Nick Simons Institute may be helpful. Visit:

http://www.nsi.edu.np/aboutus.php

They are looking for volunteers. See the Volunteer tab on that web site.

NSI is funded by Marilyn and Jim Simons. Jim Simons is a reclusive mathematician/scientist billionaire from New York who founded Renaissance. Simons are nurturing NSI - in honor of Nick Simons, their son who loved Nepal and who died in an accident few years ago. NSI focus is Nepal and is providing health care there including remote parts of that Himalayan country.

NSI is backed with well meaning people, resources and supplies. From the little I know, they have reasonable checks and balances on quality supplies/medicines. NSI can be effective.
colorado, Aug 30, 2007 @ 06:20