Cancer patients in the Gaza Strip are getting thousands of pounds worth of potentially lifesaving drugs thanks to a Leicestershire pharmaceutical supplier.
Morningside Pharmaceuticals, which is based in Loughborough, has donated £85,000 worth of chemotherapy tablets for patients at Shifa Hospital.
It is the only hospital in the territory able to receive cancer medicines as it is the only one with an oncology unit.
The 3,000 packs of drugs have been sent to the Middle East via the International Health Partners (IHP) charity.
Morningside develops and supplies everything from epilepsy and diabetes drugs to anti-depressants, cancer treatments and contraceptives to the NHS and retail pharmacy sector and aid agencies including UNICEF, the Red Cross and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Company accounts show the business turned over almost £63 million in 2017 and donated £2 million to charity.
Its “mission” includes “making quality healthcare an affordable and accessible reality throughout the world”.
Chief executive Dr Nik Kotecha OBE said: “According to the Lancet, cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the Palestinian territories, accounting for 14 per cent of deaths, which is predicted to increase.
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“Morningside Pharmaceuticals is proud to have distributed quality medicine to more than 100 countries world-wide over the past 28 years, many of which are low and middle income countries.
“We are delighted to have been able to make this significant donation, which we hope will help treat and save hundreds of patients.”
The Gaza Strip, which sits between Israel and the Mediterranean, is area of ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
Shifa Hospital provides almost 70 per cent of the peacetime public medical services in Gaza and almost 90 per cent of the emergency medical services during in times of war and unrest.
It is the biggest public hospital out of 14 in the Gaza Strip and serves hundreds of thousands of patients every year, including almost 300,000 outpatients and about 50,000 inpatients.
IHP helps European healthcare companies donate to healthcare professionals, charities and non-governmental organisations to support vulnerable and disaster-hit communities.
Hannah Dean, partnership and programmes officer for IHP, said Morningside’s donation would provide “essential, high quality medicines to the most vulnerable people in the world”.
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She said: “I have recently returned from visiting this programme in Gaza and know that this generous donation will really benefit a lot of cancer patients currently struggling to access essential medicines there.
“This donation of vital oncology medicine will mean that cancer patients can access the treatment they need free of charge.”