Posted Date : 02/17/2005 CST A second container with medicines and hospital equipment (wheel chairs, beds, ICU monitoring systems etc.) donated by Medical Bridges, is planned to leave Houston in 1-2 weeks. The shipping cost for this container will be paid by Medical Bridges from donations they received in January, 2005. Volunteers from Medical Bridges and their staff will pack this container. I-FREED wishes to extend its sincere appreciation to Medical Bridges, its staff and volunteers for their commitment to helping the tsunami affected people in Sri Lanka.
Update : 03/02/2005 CST Staff at medical bridges packed this container during the last two weeks. It will leave on the vessel, President Kennedy V 172 W on March 8th, 2005 from Houston. Expected date of arrival in Sri Lanka is April 6th, 2005. We would once again like to thank staff and volunteers at Medical Bridges for all their help and enthusiasm towards making this project a success. A special note of thanks to Dr. Angel Werch, Coordinator Shipments-Logistic, and Ellen Peterson, Director, Medical Bridges, for coordinating the needed supplies as well as the shipping arrangements. The Sri Lankan community in Houston on behalf of the tsunami affected people of Sri Lanka extends our heartfelt appreciation to all at Medical Bridges. The supplies (which consist mainly of medical equipment and supplies) will be cleared by the Alcohol and Drug Information Center (ADIC) in Sri Lanka and will be distributed to the reconstructed hospitals with the assistance of the Ministry of Health.
Update : 04/10/2005 CST The second 40 foot container reached Sri Lanka on 4th of April, 2005. ADIC staff is now in the process of clearing this container. They will be assisted in this task by officials of the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, who will absorb the clearing and port charges. The contents (hospital beds, wheel chairs, ICU monitoring unit and other medical supplies) will be warehoused at the medical supply division of the Ministry of Health. ADIC staff in collaboration with the Ministry of Health will identify specific needs in various hospitals in the country and will coordinate the distribution. Medical Bridges, our affiliate partner in this effort has agreed that these contents can be distributed any where in Sri Lanka with matching needs. Preference will however be given to tsunami affected regions.
Update : 08/04/2005 CST Due to the immense outpouring of aid and the resultant back log of containers in the harbor, there was a delay in clearing this container by the Ministry of Health. With the assistance of ADIC, this was cleared last week and the contents stored at the medical supply division warehouse. The contents will by distributed as needs are identified in the ensuing months.
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