‘Physicians With Heart’ volunteers aim to enhance healthcare in Tajikistan

KANSAS CITY/October 12, 2005 — Tajikistan’s national health workers are about to get a shot of hope and health when the Physicians With Heart airlift arrives in the capital city of Dushanbe tomorrow. The collaborative project of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the AAFP Foundation and Heart to Heart International aims to improve the overall health care of patients in remote parts of Tajikistan through humanitarian aid, medical education, and volunteer service programs.

This is the 14th joint project for the Physicians With Heart partnership. The U.S. Department of State is providing aircraft and logistics support for this project. Leaders and delegation members will arrive in Dushanbe aboard a government-issued C-17 cargo plane, which is also carrying more than 23 tons of lifesaving pharmaceuticals, medical instruments and supplies valued at nearly $7.2 million (U.S. wholesale).

“As a family doc, I’m excited about being on this delegation,” said Gary Morsch, M.D., president and founder of Heart to Heart International, a humanitarian organization based in Olathe. Kan. “Tajikistan is a country poised to embrace the benefits of primary care, it’s a country of intense need, and its children are struggling to survive in this rugged land. This Physicians With Heart project will go a long ways toward meeting all of those needs.”

Dr. Morsch will be joined by leaders from the AAFP, AAFP Foundation, U.S. State Department, pharmaceutical industry and more than 40 other volunteers Oct. 13-23, bringing health and hope to remote areas of Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic that ranks among the poorest countries in Central Asia.

Once the delegation arrives in Dushanbe, they will disperse in teams to Khodjent, Kulyab, and Kurgan Tyube to oversee the distribution of medical aid, which includes much-needed items like insulin, anti-hypertensives, antibiotics, burn cream, water-purification tablets, pain relievers, multi-vitamins, first-aid supplies, audiology instruments and stethoscopes.

”In addition to the humanitarian aid and volunteer services that we will be providing, family physicians on the trip are looking forward to offering several educational sessions for our Tajikistan colleagues,” said Michael Fleming, M.D., former president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “We consider it a privilege to be able to provide not only on-site medical symposia and pharmaceutical update training, but also education in Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO®) — an educational course that has proven to lower maternal and infant mortality rates.”

Family physicians and nurses on the delegation will provide hospital staff with practical information regarding the donated products. They will also participate in panel discussions and educational seminars hosted by Abt Associates on the concept and philosophy of family medicine. Further, a specialized team of instructors will work with CARE staff members to provide an ALSO course, which helps delivery room personnel assess and treat obstetric emergencies.

“I am enthused for the Foundation to be a partner of this important humanitarian project providing education in family medicine, procuring and documenting the delivery of pharmaceutical products, delivery of medical equipment, and caring for the children of Tajikistan through the Children’s Project,” said David L. Massanari, M.D., president, AAFP Foundation, the charitable arm of the AAFP.

Non-medical personnel will participate in service projects at a refugee school in Yavan and a center for homeless children in Dushanbe. This team will coordinate painting projects and will assist in delivering hygiene kits, new bedding, and toys for the children — with the sole purpose of raising the quality of life in these institutions.

Since 1993, the Physicians With Heart partnership has delivered more than $120 million (U.S. wholesale) worth of life-saving medicines and supplies to hospitals and clinics serving the poorest of the poor in Central Asia.