* Joint project of International Aid, Johnson & Johnson, World Health
Organization
* Facility to serve 32 regional hospitals, more than four million
residents
SPRING LAKE, Mich., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- International Aid has opened a
first-of-its-kind medical equipment service and training center in a region of
Indonesia devastated by the massive 2004 tsunami. The new center, a result of
the agency's collaboration with Johnson & Johnson and the World Health
Organization (WHO), will enable the servicing of critical medical equipment
used by 32 regional hospitals serving more than four million regional
residents, and is an important, strategic step in restoring Indonesia's health
care infrastructure.
In the months following the tsunami, and even prior to the disaster,
Indonesia's health system was in serious need of localized medical equipment
service capability. In Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province, site of
International Aid's new facility, broken medical equipment typically went
unused, or required round-trip transport to Jakarta, nearly 1,000 miles away.
Now, as part of a two-year commitment - requested by the Aceh province
Ministry of Health - International Aid has opened a new facility that will
simultaneously service medical equipment and provide repair training for local
technicians. After two years, International Aid plans to transfer full-time
management of the service and training facility to the Ministry of Health.
"We are gratified that Indonesia's regional officials have recognized the
unique capabilities and contributions of our organization and partners," said
International Aid President and CEO, Myles Fish. "The slogan for the regional
rebuilding effort is 'build back better,' and this is a great opportunity to
help empower area residents to address both the immediate and permanent health
needs of their region."
The development of the new facility has been an important part of
International Aid's broader response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, which struck
one year ago on Dec. 26, claiming more than 200,000 lives in 11 countries.
The agency was among the first responders to arrive in the region,
distributing more than $11 million in disaster relief supplies in the first 90
days, and has subsequently continued to play a lead role in opening community-
based health clinics to serve local residents. In recent weeks, International
Aid has opened two additional clinics in remote villages on Nias Island, an
area off the coast of Sumatra that suffered extensive damage from the
earthquake that preceded the tsunami; the addition of these clinics brings to
eight the total number of community facilities International Aid currently
operates in Indonesia.
International Aid's tsunami-related efforts illustrate several core
elements of the agency's focus and the unique role it plays in the array of
organizations providing worldwide aid and assistance:
* Emergency relief. Borrowing a page from Fortune 500 and military
logistics techniques, International Aid specializes in efficiently
linking its network of corporate donors to impromptu local aid
distribution networks. A pioneer in these techniques, the agency has
undertaken its emergency aid work in Indonesia concurrently with its
unprecedented relief efforts in the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it has
already distributed a record-breaking $40 million in hurricane relief,
and in Pakistan.
* Medical equipment. The development of the Aceh medical equipment
service center is related to International Aid's broader efforts to
distribute working medical equipment worldwide, and to build
efficiencies and self-sufficiency in the way these tools are made
available. Just as it has eliminated the need to ship broken equipment
1,000 miles to Jakarta, International Aid has worked to bring portable
"Lab-in-a-Suitcase" units to remote villages in 14 developing
countries. It has also refurbished donated equipment that outfits
entire hospitals overseas, and in Africa, its local equipment repair
trainees now serve nearly 60 hospitals in six countries.
* Community-based health care. International Aid continues to focus on
developing long-term, community-based health care and education
programs in disaster-affected and poor regions worldwide, including
Honduras, Afghanistan and Kosovo. Its new clinics on Indonesia's Nias
Island mirror this commitment, providing immediate and longer-term
health care solutions for entire communities.
Based in Spring Lake, Michigan, International Aid
(http://www.internationalaid.org) is a health-focused Christian relief and
development organization that has responded to more than 100 natural and man-
made disasters and has delivered relief supplies to 170 countries over the
past 10 years. Churches, corporations and individuals interested in more
information on International Aid can reach the agency at 800-251-2502.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Myles Fish
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=10001466
SOURCE International Aid
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Related links:
http://www.internationalaid.org
CONTACT:
Dean Agee of International Aid,
+1-616-690-2340
NOTE TO EDITORS: International Aid President and CEO Myles Fish
first visited Banda Aceh, at the heart of the tsunami-affected
region, only 10 days after the disaster struck and has just
returned to the U.S. from his most recent visit to Indonesia.
Fish is available to provide a first-hand perspective on the
relief and rebuilding efforts of agencies, corporations and
governments.
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