'Physicians With Heart' enhances health in the Kyrgyz Republic

Volunteers bring aid, education and big hearts to the former Soviet republic

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic/October 21, 2008 — Medical professionals in the Kyrgyz Republic are about to get a shot of hope and health when the Physicians With Heart project team returns today to the former Soviet republic. A collaborative effort between the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the AAFP Foundation and Heart to Heart International, the team of volunteers will distribute humanitarian aid, provide medical education, and conduct volunteer-service projects in an effort to enhance health in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Physicians With Heart partnership is celebrating its 15-year anniversary by returning to the Kyrgyz Republic for the third time. The partnership previously traveled there in 1996 and 2003.

Dr. Rick Kellerman, AAFP Board Chair, and Dr. Mark Belfer, AAFP Foundation President, will be joined by leaders from the AAFP, the AAFP Foundation, Heart to Heart International, the U.S. State Department, and nearly 20 volunteers Oct. 18-26, bringing health and hope throughout the Kyrgyz Republic, which continues to take positive steps in developing its national healthcare system.

Family physicians and nurses on the project team will provide hospital staff with practical information regarding the donated products. They will also participate in panel discussions and symposia on family medicine.

Once the volunteers arrive in the capital city of Bishkek, they will disperse in teams to oversee the distribution of medical aid, which is valued at more than $5.3 million (U.S. wholesale). The load includes much-needed items like cancer-fighting medications, anti-hypertensives, antibiotics, sutures, pain relievers, multi-vitamins, first-aid supplies, audiology instruments and stethoscopes.

Non-medical personnel will participate in service projects at boarding schools in Bishkek and Osh, as well as a small reconstruction project at a boarding school in Bishkek. This team will coordinate painting projects and will replace the heating system at one location and assist in delivering hygiene kits, new bedding, hearing aids, and toys for the children—with the sole purpose of raising the quality of life in these institutions.

Support for this year's project was made possible by the U.S. State Department, the AAFP Foundation and the following organizations:

• Abbott
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Ethicon Inc.
• Hospira
• Johnson & Johnson
• Kingsway Charities
• McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNeil-PPC Inc.
• Mead Johnson and Company
• Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
• Pharmavite LLC
• Welch Allyn Inc.

Since 1993, the Physicians With Heart partnership has delivered more than $130 million (U.S. wholesale) worth of life-saving medicines, medical instruments and supplies to hospitals and clinics serving the poorest of the poor in Central Asia.