Medical aid to treat up to 300,000 people and prevent malnutrition and cholera has been sent by Islamic Help to Chad.

A shipment of antibiotics and anti-bacterial drugs was shipped to the central African nation where it will be used by the International Medical Corps (IMC) which works in refugee camps, clinics, health centres and hospitals.

Chad is Africa’s fifth-largest nation but is beset by poverty and civil conflict. As well as internal problems – about 140,000 people are internally displaced – it is also home to 200,000 refugees from Sudan and an estimated 100,000 from the Central African Republic.

The IMC said the aid would play a vital part in its efforts to bolster the country’s medical capacity. The shipment includes albendazole pills, used in the treatment of a variety of parasitic worm infestations; oral rehydration salts (ORS); amoxicillin and doxycycline which are used to treat bacterial infections.
The majority of the drugs will go to the IMC’s project in the Lac region where the organisation has targeted more than 240,000 beneficiaries.

IMC programme manager Nicola Naidu said: “At the end of September, cholera was identified in the Lac region, and while being dealt with, it is a serious worry due to the last epidemic in 2011/2012.
“The donation from you will be specifically used in the treatment and prevention of cholera cases. The ORS and doxycycline, with the amoxicillin, are arriving at a very crucial time and will benefit the population we assist as a whole.”

The remaining medicines will be split between two other IMC projects. One, in Guereda in Wadi Fira, involves secondary health (HIV treatment and mental health) and nutritional activities in two camps for Sudanese refugees. This could benefit more than 41,000 beneficiaries.

The other project will involve the local population in Aboudeia, Salamat and has a target beneficiary number of nearly 26,000.

Nicola Naidu added: We thank Islamic Help for this generous gesture, and are committed to utilise the drugs donated for the enrichment and betterment of the populations we work with.”

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