Medicines shipped from our distribution centre in Oakville can travel thousands of miles, pass through multiple ports of entry, and navigate complex logistics before reaching their destination.
For Health Partners International Canada (HPIC) and our valued partners, it is all part of a labour of love and commitment. It is also what drives us to continually improve the often-elaborate processes involved in ensuring timely access to life-changing medicine for the world’s most vulnerable.
Every year HPIC meets with our on-the-ground partners in destination countries to review the operational realities of medical product distribution and healthcare delivery in remote and often fragile conditions. President Lois Brown and our programs team recently followed a shipment of medicine to the Central American country of Honduras. For this mission, HPIC collaborated with our trusted Canadian partner Hope International Development Agency (HIDA), an organization dedicated to mobilizing resources and connecting donors, volunteers, and teams to create lasting change worldwide. In Honduras, our partner was Proyecto Adlea Global (PAG), a wide-reaching local humanitarian non-profit. Our three experienced organizations often work together to provide Hondurans in need access to vital medicine and medical supplies.
Four skids of medicine consisting of Canesten (an antifungal), Complete Multivitamin, and Children’s Advil had been graciously donated respectively by Canadian pharmaceutical manufacturers Bayer, IVC VitaHealth, and Haleon. These vital medications were carefully processed and prepared at our Oakville warehouse for direct shipment by air to PAG in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Once the local receipt and clearance process at the Honduran port of entry for in-bound medicines was completed, the inventory was trucked to one of the 19 sectoral pharmaceutical warehouses operated by PAG. There, they were inspected and sorted, and the accompanying documents cross-matched and validated. Detailed lists were then created to accompany the medications, which were apportioned and delivered to the recipient facilities in the field for individual dispensing.
PAG’s local health program in Honduras features Frontline Medical Brigades that offer routine checkups and basic medications to underserved populations in more remote communities. An extensive network of 350 community pharmacies, staffed by trained volunteer dispensers, provides medications, hygiene products, basic health services, and preventative health education to over 2,500 communities.
The field visit allowed HPIC to hear compelling testimonials from local Hondurans on the positive impact the donated medicines have made on their health and quality of life.
The strength of our partnership with Hope International Development Agency and Proyecto Aldea Global was evident. Ongoing communication, transparency, and adaptive learning will ensure that shared efforts continue to meet the needs of vulnerable populations in Honduras. With aligned goals and continued collaboration, HPIC remains well-positioned to expand its impact and further strengthen the resilience of community-based health systems in Honduras.
