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The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has partnered with Salam Charity to begin fundraising efforts for the ‘Medicines to Gaza’ initiative in the UK.
In an announcement published on 20 December 2024, the PDA said it had partnered with the charity owing to its “extensive experience” in helping Palestinian people to access essential supplies.
The PDA added that it would be participating as the lead national pharmacy organisation in the UK and encouraged pharmacist members to distribute and display posters and other campaign material for public donations in pharmacy windows and areas visible to the public.
“Funds raised from the public in this way are sent to a national charity in each respective country for safe keeping and in preparation for onward transit,” it said.
“By combining the funds that are raised in several participating countries, significant sums can be raised for purposes of large-scale medicines procurement.”
The PDA told The Pharmaceutical Journal on 2 January 2025 that the National Pharmacy Association is supporting the campaign through arranging for the campaign posters to be distributed to UK pharmacies.
The ‘Medicines to…’ initiative is part of the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s (FIP) wider HumanityRx programme, aimed at helping to raise funds for medicines in regions affected by emergencies and disasters.
The PDA announced the launch of the ‘Medicines to Gaza’ initiative in September 2024 at the FIP Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, following the success of the ‘Medicines to Ukraine‘ model, which launched in 2022 and is ongoing. The campaign has raised more than £5m for medicines for Ukraine so far.
Commenting on the latest announcement, a spokesperson for the PDA humanitarian team said: “The ‘Medicines to Gaza’ campaign has been launched because of requests for help from pharmacists in Palestine who are working within a healthcare system which is completely overwhelmed.
“We are proud to be able to announce our partnership with Salam Charity, as this charity already has extensive experience in helping the Palestinian people with food parcels and other essential supplies, making them credible and reputable partners.”
“As pharmacists, providing medicines to those in need, it is in our nature to help those less fortunate than ourselves and it is a great honour to be able to further develop our humanitarian activities,” they added.
A spokesperson for Salam Charity said: “At Salam Charity, we recognise the vital need for unity in today’s world.
“The PDA has shown commendable leadership by collaborating with many pharmacy organisations worldwide and in launching the campaign in the UK. Their collaborative efforts highlight the significant impact we can achieve collectively.”
“We are proud to partner with the PDA to provide much-needed medicines to Gaza. We pray for a united world where peace and equal opportunities are at the centre,” they added.
At the ‘Medicines to Gaza’ campaign launch event, pharmacy organisations from several countries confirmed their agreement to participate in the campaign.
The organisations included the PDA, the Egyptian Organisation of Pharmacy, the Jordan Pharmacists’ Association, the Malaysian Pharmacists’ Society, the Medicines to Africa Campaign — South Africa and the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon.
