Actavis Group,
one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world and Atlantsskip,
the shipping company, both with headquarters in Iceland, have
decided to co-sponsor an IceAid development project in Tanzania which
aims at enhancing the capacity of a local pharmaceutical producer to become
self-sufficient in producing low-priced, quality medicine for Tanzanians
and citizens of neighbouring countries.
The production of medicine is targeted against such diseases as HIV/AIDS,
malaria, tuberculosis and other treatable diseases posing serious hurdle
to economic development in these countries. This development assistance
will include the donation of pharmaceutical production equipment, training
of staff in the production of medicine and provide technical advice as
to modernizing the factory currently in place. Atlantsskip will sponsor
the shipping of the pharmaceutical equipment from Serbia to Tanzania.The
project will start in May 2007.
BACKGROUND - Health Situation in Tanzania
HIV/AIDS
In Tanzania there are more than two million people living with HIV/AIDS,
(out of population of 37 million). Eighty percent of these fall within
the productive age bracket (20 years - 44 years). Due to the increase
in child and adult mortality caused by AIDS life expectancy at birth in
2010 will be reduced to between 35 - 40 years as opposed to the projected
56 years without AIDS. Nine per cent of the country´s active labour
force will be HIV positive by the end of 2006.
Each year approximately 50 to 60 thousand children are born HIV positive.
Some 170 thousand children under the age of 15 are currently living with
HIV/AIDS. HIV prevalence among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic
for the first time ranges from 4% to 30% in selected Sentinel sites. Up
to 50% of hospital beds in general wards are occupied by patients with
HIV/AIDS related illnesses and 60% of TB patients are HIV positive. There
are currently around 400 thousand AIDS patients who need treatment now,
out of whom only 20 thousand are being treated. The actual picture on
the ground could be worse since AIDS cases are heavily under-reported.
The Ministry of Health in Tanzania estimates that only one of five cases
gets reported.
Malaria
Death rate from malaria in Tanzania is one of the highest in southern
Africa. A staggering 100,000 Tanzanians die from the disease each year.
That is the equivalent to one person every five minutes. About 70 percent
of the deaths occur among pregnant women and children below the age of
five years. In addition, children are dying because diarrhoea cannot be
treated effectively or because small injuries become infected and, if
not treated, result in death. Other treatable illnesses such as tuberculosis
end fatally and treatment is hard to obtain.
|
ICEAID founder
Glumur Balvinsson
at work in Tanzania
THANKS FROM TANZANIA
Dear Glumur,
Thanks for the very good news…the best for this year. I would like
to take this opportunity to thank you particularly for your initiative
as well as efforts in this vein.
It takes a “heart” to do what you did and we would like to
thank you
and through you to ACTAVIS and ATLANTSSKIP for their assistance and kindness.
Last but not least our sincere thanks to Icelandic people whose kindness
will go a long way towards alleviating our peoples’ illnesses and
suffering. Best regards,
RAMADHAN R. MADABIDA |
