DEMIRA - Medical Aid Shipment to Benghazi

Munich, 29/07/2011. The longer the NATO operation “Odyssey Dawn” and the international sanctions against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi drag on, the more precarious the humanitarian situation in Libya becomes.

In association with the official visit by delegates of the German-African Business Association, led by Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Economics Ministry, Hans-Joachim Otto, DEMIRA's Emergency Response Unit delivered relief supplies to Benghazi.

On 27th July 2011, DEMIRA programme manager Marcia Hamzat boarded the Transall C-160 German military transport plane to escort a tonne of medical supplies to Benghazi. The shipment of aid included material for dressing wounds, surgical instruments, and consumables. The plane was unloaded immediately upon arrival in Benghazi, and the supplies were sent to the central medical storage facility, from where they were distributed to hospitals and healthcare centres in the region.

During the delegation visit to Hawari General Hospital in Benghazi, Marcia Hamzat talked with the head of the hospital and was able to assess further needs. The hospital which is currently treating war victims from the region, is only able to function at 50 percent of its capacity due to the shortage of materials and trained staff. In particular, there is a lack of medicines, consumables, and spare parts for medical equipment. New supplies depend for the most part on deliveries from NGOs, neighbouring countries, and the Libyan diaspora.

The DEMIRA Emergency Response Unit, one of the few humanitarian aid organisations from Germany, has been active in Libya since the end of July.

Donations Account Number: 131516, Stadtsparkasse München, Sort Code 701 500 00

DEMIRA e.V. is a humanitarian, charitable, non-governmental organisation (NGO), which is non-religious and politically independent. It was founded in 1996 in order to provide humanitarian mine clearance, EOD (explosive ordnance disposal), and emergency medical aid to people living in postwar countries and to victims of natural disasters and civil unrest. DEMIRA provides relief irrespective of race, sex, religion, or political orientation.

DEMIRA NGO
Hartmannstraße 8
80333 Munich
Tel.: +49 / 89 / 29165620
Fax: +49 / 89 / 29165619
Mariem Pusina
Fundraising and Public Relations
E-mail: mariem.pusina@demira.org
Web: www.demira.org

This release was published on openPR.