AmeriCares Airlift of Medical Aid Arrives in Kirkuk

AmeriCares Foundation
Thursday, 22 May 2003

More than 70,000 pounds of emergency medical relief for Iraq arrived in Kirkuk yesterday on an AmeriCares airlift.

The Russian-built IL-76 cargo jet loaded with $5 million worth of medical supplies and nutritional supplements arrived in Kirkuk at 7 a.m. local time, Wednesday. This is the second shipment of humanitarian aid delivered into Kirkuk by AmeriCares, the only U.S. NGO that has sent aid to the city.

The airlift increases the total amount of urgent aid sent to Iraq by AmeriCares to nearly 200,000 pounds. This includes an 80,000 pound airlift which arrived into Baghdad on May 17.

The supplies for Kirkuk have been offloaded and are to be distributed to several hospitals and clinics in the city including Kirkuk (Al Jumhurriye) Hospital, Kirkuk Pediatric Hospital and Azady (formerly Saddam) Hospital. Additional airlifts into Iraq are scheduled for the coming weeks.

AmeriCares is the nonprofit international disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs—and supports long-term healthcare programs—for people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has delivered more than $3 billion in humanitarian aid to 137 countries worldwide.

For more information, or to contact AmeriCares Foundation, see their website at: www.americares.org