(PORTLAND, ORE.—Sept. 11, 2007)Portland-based Medical Teams International is sending nearly $760,000 in medicines to Baghdad today. The supplies—critically needed antibiotics, chronic disease medicines and pain relievers—will help 2,400 patients. Most of these patients are vulnerable children under the age of five and young women.

"Medical services in Iraq used to be among the best in the Middle East," says Joe DiCarlo, director of emergency response at Medical Teams International. "But the security crisis of the last four years has forced thousands of doctors to flee the country. Many more have been killed. Lack of medical providers and sparse supplies has further hampered the the Iraqi health system, with children suffering the most."

According to UNICEF, nearly 70 percent of the Iraqi people lack access to clean drinking water, 21 percent of Iraqi children suffer from malnutrition, and 80 percent have no sanitation services.

Medical Teams International (formerly Northwest Medical Teams) is partnering with the Middle Eastern Children's Alliance in Iraq to oversee distribution of the supplies at the Children's Welfare Teaching Hospital System in Baghdad. The hospital is a referral center for the entire country.

"This shipment will provide medicines that would otherwise be impossible to obtain," explains DiCarlo. "These donated medical supplies will ensure that thousands of Iraqis have access to life-saving drugs."

The supplies are being air-shipped from The Netherlands, where Medical Teams International is working with pharmaceutical manufacturer IMRES.

Medical Teams International began working in northern Iraq in 1991, helping the Kurdish community recover after the Gulf War. In 2003, Medical Teams International sent medical volunteers to help Iraqi doctors and nurses update their medical skills. Medical Teams International has sent more than $2.6 million in medical supplies to the region.