Airlift for Haiti leaves Nov. 15 with medicine to treat 50,000 people and water purification tablets to provide 12 million litres of clean water

MONTREAL, Nov. 14, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - 16 skids of medicine and 2.8 million water purification tablets leave for Haiti tomorrow Nov. 15. Air Transat offered an airplane to Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC) to fill with emergency supplies. FFPC worked with Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) to procure medicines to treat cholera and other diseases. HPIC mobilized Canada's pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, which responded with enough medicine to treat 50,000 people.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES NOV. 15-16:

1. Tuesday: 5:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. at the Air Transat counter at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport in Dorval (or up to 7:30 a.m. for telephone interviews)
2. Tuesday: tentatively between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. upon arrival
3. Wednesday: At HPIC's office in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec or by telephone (see contact below)

"We would like to thank HPIC and the Canadian pharmaceutical industry for such an excellent response to our needs list for Haiti," said Samantha Mahfood, Executive Director of FFPC. "We would also like to thank the Air Transat team for their incredible efforts to prevent further spread of cholera."

HPIC communicated the needs from Haiti to our national network of donors in the generic, innovative and self-care industries in Canada and received donations from 19 companies. The donations totalled $2 million Canadian fair market value and $1.3 million will be on the plane. HPIC is also equipping other partners, including mobile teams, who are working in Haiti.

"We are so grateful to our pharmaceutical donors who have made this possible, and also for the gift from Air Transat and the strong partnership with Food For The Poor Canada," said Denis St-Amour, HPIC's President.

The flight will be seen off in Montreal by the Ambassador of Haiti to Canada, Frantz Liautaud, and Jean-François Lemay, President of Air Transat. Denis St-Amour and Samantha Mahfood will be flying down on the plane. The plane will be welcomed in Port-au-Prince by the Canadian Ambassador to Haiti, Paula Caldwell St-Onge, along with Bishop Oge Beauvoir, Executive Director of Food For The Poor Haiti.

What is on board?

1. 16 skids of medicine = medical treatment for 50,000 Haitians (provided by HPIC and donated by 19 companies)
   1. Antibiotics
   2. Analgesics
   3. Oral rehydration
   4. Other requested medication
   5. Supplies (e.g. gloves)
2. 2.8 million water purification tablets = 12 million litres of clean water (purchased with funds donated by Canadians to FFPC)

Donor companies of medicine and medical supplies:
Apotex, AstraZeneca, Fresenius-Kabi, GlaxoSmithKline, Henry Schein, Johnson & Johnson, LEO Pharma Canada, Odan, Paladin, Patterson Dental,  Pediapharm, Pfizer, Pharmascience, Sanofi, Sun Pharma, Taro, Teligent, Teva Canada Limited, Vita Health.

About Health Partners International of Canada
Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) is a Montreal-based charity dedicated to increasing access to medicine for the most vulnerable people in the world. The only organization of its kind in Canada, HPIC is the charity of choice for gift-in-kind donations from Canada's pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. HPIC equips volunteers, medical mission teams and humanitarian organizations with Humanitarian Medical Kits and large provisions of medicine and medical supplies for medical missions and health projects. Working with our Canadian and global network of implementing partners, HPIC provides medical relief, responds to emergencies and builds capacity. Every year HPIC provides medical treatment to 1 million people in over 50 countries. www.hpicanada.ca

About Food For The Poor Canada
Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC) empowers communities in Haiti and Jamaica through five areas of programming: food, housing, education, health and livelihood. Through basic aid and sustainable development, FFPC responds to urgent needs while building community and social infrastructure.

SOURCE Health Partners International of Canada

For further information: Christina Parsons, Director of communications, Health Partners International of Canada, 514-949-9183, [email protected]; Samantha Mahfood, Executive Director, Food For The Poor Canada, 647.350.7269, [email protected]