News release

Christmas present for Dr. Thistle in Zimbabwe

MONTREAL, QC (December 1, 2009) - A Christmas present from Canada's healthcare industry is on its way to Dr. Paul Thistle and his small team at Howard Hospital in rural Zimbabwe.

Health Partners International of Canada put out a special appeal last month and eight pharmaceutical companies responded with special donations of medicine and medical supplies worth close to $130,000.

"Health Partners International of Canada is the main constant supplier of pharmaceuticals to Howard," Dr. Thistle said. "The drugs donated by HPIC through its partners in the pharmaceutical industry are supporting people in great need. They will survive for a better day and they will have a better day. Today there is a joy on their faces as they receive the life saving and life changing support from Canada."

Dr. Thistle and his team see some 400 people every day, about half are people living with HIV/AIDS. Contents of the shipment include oral rehydration solution, a variety of antibiotics, asthma inhalers, antibiotic ointment, anesthetics, medicine for heart failure and high blood pressure, children's vitamins and surgical tape and other medical supplies. Each item is expected to meet the hospital's needs for six months.

"We are so encouraged by the positive and speedy response from our partners in the research-based and generic pharmaceutical industries as well as the medical supply sector," says Glen Shepherd, President of HPIC. "The work of Dr. Thistle has a special place in our hearts. Many of our partners have met him and want to support the life-saving work he is doing. This shipment is a good example of a variety of partners coming together through HPIC to bring health and hope to Zimbabweans."

Apart from the large HIV/AIDS clinic, the hospital offers general medicine and general surgery and "just about everything except intensive care," according to Dr. Thistle.

Patients travel from far and wide to get the good care offered at Howard by the Canadian doctor who grew up in Scarborough, Ontario. Howard remains a beacon of hope in a country that struggles with tremendous poverty, political instability, and hunger in addition to the scourge of AIDS.

("It is easy to become discouraged when looking at things from a global or national level," says Dr. Thistle. "We work at the community level. We are reviving mothers and fathers, wives and husbands through our services. Breadwinners come in on a stretcher and walk out alive to go back and support their families. Life is a struggle here but it is easier when you are healthy." (

HPIC and its partners have been supporting the work of Dr. Thistle and Howard Hospital since 1996. More than $1.5 million of medical aid was sent to the hospital in 2009.

"I would like to give credit to the companies that responded specifically to this request: 3M, AstraZeneca, Covidien, GlaxoSmithKline, Hoffmann-La Roche, Pharmascience, sanofi-aventis, and Wyeth Consumer," says Glen Shepherd. "On behalf of the patients at Howard, a sincere thank you."

Health Partners International of Canada is a humanitarian not-for-profit relief and development organization dedicated to improving access to medicine and enhancing health in the developing world. HPIC contributes to well-being by providing donated essential medicines, supplies and vaccines, building national health sector capacities, and responding to emergencies and health threats. We partner with a network of ministries of health, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and healthcare professionals, with healthcare product companies, and with Canadian government departments; and we count on the financial support of individual donors, foundations and corporations. Because of our unique model, HPIC multiplies every donated dollar to provide, without discrimination, at least $10 of free medical aid.

About HPIC

Health Partners International of Canada is a humanitarian not-for-profit relief and development organization dedicated to improving access to medicine and enhancing health in the developing world. HPIC contributes to well-being by providing donated essential medicines, supplies and vaccines, building national health sector capacities, and responding to emergencies and health threats. We partner with a network of ministries of health, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and healthcare professionals, with pharmaceutical and healthcare product companies, and with Canadian government departments; and we count on the financial support of individual donors, foundations and corporations. Because of our unique model, HPIC multiplies every donated dollar to provide, without discrimination, at least $10 of free medical aid.

For more information contact:
Christina Parsons
Director, Corporate Communications
514-822-1112, ext. 119
email: