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 militar ogistics techniques, International Aid specializes in efficientl inking its network of corporate donors to impromptu local ai istribution networks. A pioneer in these techniques, the agency ha ndertaken its emergency aid work in Indonesia concurrently with it nprecedented relief efforts in the U.S. Gulf Coast, where it ha lready distributed a record-breaking $40 million in hurricane relief,
and in Pakistan.
* Medical equipment. The development of the Aceh medical equipmen ervice center is related to International Aid's broader efforts t istribute working medical equipment worldwide, and to buil fficiencies and self-sufficiency in the way these tools are mad vailable. 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 developin ountries. It has also refurbished donated equipment that outfit ntire hospitals overseas, and in Africa, its local equipment repai rainees now serve nearly 60 hospitals in six countries.
* Community-based health care. International Aid continues to focus o eveloping long-term, community-based health care and educatio rograms in disaster-affected and poor regions worldwide, includin onduras, Afghanistan and Kosovo. Its new clinics on Indonesia's Nia sland mirror this commitment, providing immediate and longer-ter ealth 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