fbpx Medical Couriers | Aviation Without Borders

Medical Couriers

 

Health care parcels sent all over the world

Aviation Sans Frontières offers humanitarian associations- those registered in the Official Journal of charity organisations- the possibility to ship parcels containing 8 kg of medicine or medical equipment by plane to deprived hospitals and clinics in remote parts of the world. During the average week, 100 to 150 parcels are shipped in the cargo holds of Air France flights. 

After receiving approval from the captain and going through the various customs and security checks, these packages are entrusted to the flight crews flying to the destination.

To ensure the traceability and the proper delivery of the parcels, a volunteer Aviation Sans Frontières representative is present at each stop and at the destination, where additional checks are performed. Thanks to a professional logistic follow-up, transmitting authorities hold the guarantee that all medicine and equipment will be hand-delivered to their recipients.

Around fifteen volunteers change shifts every day at the Aviation Sans Frontières headquarters at Orly International Airport to take care of the repackaging and the management of these parcels. Thanks to the presence of Aviation Sans Frontières representatives at each stop, the security of these distribution channels is ensured. Furthermore, new governmental requirements mean that NGOs must buy all medicine themselves to ensure its traceability.
Some requests cannot be handled using this method- when, for example, packages are too heavy- and are therefore taken care of by Humanitarian Freight.

 

600 partners

Pharmacie Humanitaire Internationale, la Croix-Rouge française, le Secours Populaire, l’Ordre de Malte France, Œuvre Missionnaire du Père Lafourcade, Réseau des Entrepreneurs Solidaires, Persis, Resiac Bonsecours, Espoir pour un enfant (Hérault), Lutte contre la drépanocytose Madagascar, GFAOP, Médecins de l’Océan Indien, etc.

 

Special operations

Aviation Sans Frontières also regularly sets up special operations in order to transport specialist items, including medicines that must comply with cold chain transportation regulations, dialysis bags, equipment in large quantities or equipment required for medical training programmes to be carried out in recipient countries. Implicated in the training of professional doctors and surgeons, these programmes support preventive measures (e.g. vaccination campaigns) and the treatment of sick people on site.

 

The Milk Missions

The Milk Missions started around twenty years ago upon the request of Sister Emmanuelle and an NGO pilot. The goal was to offer a glass of milk or porridge each day to thousands of malnourished children within different health centres, orphanages, nurseries, hospitals and clinics. 

With the end of the surpluses, due to milk quotas, Aviation Sans Frontières no longer benefits from donations from milk producers. Nowadays, in addition to the cost of producing the milk from powder and delivery costs, Aviation Sans Frontières also purchases the milk used to save the lives of thousands of children.

 

Key figures

In 20218 700 parcels, composed mainly of medicine, and small medical and surgical equipment, were shipped to 26 destinations.

 

“In Madagascar and in Africa, for example, there is an urgent demand for food. Aviation Sans Frontières has been dealing with the problem of child malnourishment for 20 years by shipping tons of milk powder.” 
Claude Giraud, Aviation Sans Frontières volunteer and head of « Messagerie Médicale »

Translation into English by Julian Malacan
Proof-reading in English by Chloe Anderson within the initiative PerMondo that is coordinated by the translation agency Mondo Agit

Print this page
Share this page
Follow us on