Dermatology Clinic in Macedonia Benefits from HOPE Program

Macedonia, February 6, 2014

Through donations of medical supplies and products, the Strategic Medical Re-Supply Program expects to have lasting impact on the well-being of patients and the health systems we partner with.

Project HOPE has been working with the Dermatology clinic, Macedonia since January 2007. The Dermatology clinic is a tertiary clinical care facility for severe skin conditions and infections, which serves 19,568 patients annually.

In 2013, Project HOPE was able to secure donations of an antibiotic cream which is not currently available in Macedonia. The HOPE Macedonia team conducted an operational research study to determine the impact of the donation. The team examined data for patients with Pemphigus, a rare autoimmune skin disease where patients are susceptible to infections. When treated with the donated product, patients cleared the infection and were released from the hospital on average nine days earlier compared to standard method of treatments. The donation helped provide all patients in 2013 with a highly effective treatment for infections from Pemphigus.

The Strategic Medical Re-Supply Program (SMRP) is an innovative program designed to strengthen the health systems as they work to sustainably improve health systems to provide high quality patient care.  Project HOPE works closely with the Ministries of Health in SMRP countries to assess and identify critical medical products, supplies, and equipment needs at hospitals throughout the countries we work in. Through our engagement with partners in the US and Europe who provide generous donations, we are able to deliver essential medicines and products which strengthen the health care facilities we work with and provide better care to their patients.

For more information, contact the Strategic Medical Re-Supply Program at [email protected]