Army medics in Colchester are transporting $3m of much-needed medicines and equipment to help mothers and children in Afghanistan.
Soldiers from 16 Close Support Medical Regiment have collected the consignment of equipment from Stansted Airport and are transporting it to RAF Brize Norton so it can be flown to the war-torn country.
The vital supplies, which include medicines, blankets and baby equipment such as incubators, have been collected by the charity Hope Worldwide and US aid agency Heart to Heart International from companies in the US. It was flown to the UK for free by FedEx Express.
They are destined for patients in the three mother and baby clinics and a hospital which Hope Worldwide runs in Kabul.
Captain Ian Roberston from 16 Close Support Medical Regiment said: "As soon as we had the request for assistance from Hope Worldwide we were keen to do our bit to help."
Ian Joseph, managing director of Hope Worldwide said: "This equipment will definitely save lives. One in five children die before the age of five."
The soldiers are collecting to buy old UK ambulances and send them to Afghanistan as part of the Afghan Airborne Ambulance Appeal.
Donations can be sent to RAO 16 CS Medical Regt, Gooojerat Barracks, Colchester, CO2 7SW and cheques should be made payable to PRI 16 CS Medical Regiment.
Published Monday, March 4, 2002
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