Global Medical Aid is a Danish

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

non-governmental charity organization, founded in 2010 by Hans-Frederik Dydensborg, Advocate of the

Supreme Court (Denmark) The Supreme Court (, lit. ''Highest Court'', , ) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is based at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen which also houses the Danish Par ...

, who in 2012 was nominated to Hero of the Year by the Danish newspaper

Jyllands-Posten ''Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten'' (; English: ''The Morning Newspaper "The Jutland Post"''), commonly shortened to ''Jyllands-Posten'' or ''JP'', is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Aarhus C, Jutland, and with a weekday circulat ...

. All members of GMA work on a voluntary basis. The purpose of GMA is to donate non-expired medicine and functional hospital equipment, collected from the pharmaceutical corporations, hospitals and health care companies to developing nations to benefit of their poor patients. Consequently, GMA is collaborating with Ministries of Health, potentially international organizations.

Characteristics

No donation will be given, unless a medical representative declares, that the donated medicine most likely can be used before the expiry date and that the equipment can be used, maintained and repaired by the recipient. GMA is financed by private grants and funds only, including covering of some costs from the receivers, free transportation from logistic firms or other free services.

Maersk Line Maersk Line or Maersk SeaLand is a Danish international container shipping company and the largest operating subsidiary of the Maersk Group, a Danish business conglomerate. Founded in 1928, it is the world's largest container shipping company by ...

Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...

United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

(UNFPA) and Beredskabsforbundet have collaborated with GMA. By August 2017 GMA has donated medicine and hospital equipment at a value of more than 22 million US Dollars to 13 countries such as, Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Macedonia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ukraine.

Afghanistan

Five shipments between 2010 and 2013 at a value of 439.000 US Dollars were sent to the

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces (, '' wilåyat''). The provinces of Afghanistan are the primar ...

. The shipments were completed with the help of the

Danish Defence Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Defe ...

who packed the medicine and equipment whilst the

shipped the goods by air to the

. In Afghanistan, the

stood for the distribution of the medicine and equipment.

Benin

Nineteen shipments between 2012 and 2014 at a value of 4.343.000 US Dollars were sent to the Beninese Ministry of Health and Military Hospitals.

covered the charges of transporting 700 hospital beds in fourteen containers. Former President of Benin,

Thomas Boni Yayi Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese banker and politician who was President of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 presidential election and was re-elected to a second term in March 2011. He also s ...

, thanked Global Medical Aid for their participation in improving the healthcare system of Benin through the donations made. The Danish M. D., Jesper Sylvest, has written a report on Global Medical Aid's work in

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

. The report was presented to The Foreign Affairs Committee of the

Danish Parliament The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands a ...

. Importantly, the report pointed out that cooperation with a Local NGO is a fundamental key to making sure that hospital equipment will be placed in the correct facilities, be in use by hospital employees and make sure that maintenance of the equipment is facilitated. The report was given to President

during the

audience (meeting) An audience is a formal meeting that takes place between a head of state and another person at the invitation of the head of state. Often, the invitation follows a request for a meeting from the other person. Though sometimes used in republics t ...

Burkina Faso

Eleven shipments between 2010 and 2013 at a value of 6.200.000 US Dollars were sent to the Burkinabe Ministry of Health and University Hospital.

North Macedonia

Two shipments between 2012 and 2013 at a value of 127.000 US Dollars to a regional hospital in

Gostivar Gostivar ( mk, Гостивар , Albanian and Turkish: ''Gostivar''), is a city in North Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also ...

, Macedonia.

Nepal

Thirteen shipments between 2010 and 2012 at a value of 1.484.000 US Dollars to the Nepalese Ministry of Health and an international organization.

Sri Lanka

Fourteen shipments between 2010 and 2013 at a value of 2.218.000 US Dollars to the Ministry of Health, Northern and Eastern provinces.

Ukraine

Twenty-five shipments between 2014 and 2017 at a value of around 5.500.000 US Dollars to the Ministry of Health, Military Hospitals and private organizations. Global Medical Aid has also donated six ambulances to

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

including four ambulances to Ukrainian paratroopers in Eastern Ukraine. Additionally, GMA donated 8,000 antibiotic treatments and 10,000 hospital uniforms together with other hospital equipment such as beds and operation tables. In 2017, GMA collaborated with Vingmed A/S and

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

in donating 8 refurbished blood fractionation machines and 65 refurbished blood collection mixers to the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. During the handover ceremony, President Dydensborg received accolades from Bohdan Pidverbetskyy of

Ukraine and Liudmyla Zanevska from the

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Blood Center.

References

{{Reflist International medical and health organizations Organizations established in 2010 International organizations based in Denmark 2010 establishments in Denmark