Panalpina delivers UNICEF medical aid to Burundi

For the third consecutive year, Panalpina (Bale, Switzerland) has managed a flight of urgently needed medications and hospital supplies to Africa; this year, the flight left Liege, Belgium and arrived in Burundi on Nov. 27. The 70 tons of antibiotics, analgesics, infusion sets and hospital equipment, gathered by UNICEF, will be distributed to the country’s health centers.

The service takes advantage of Panalpina’s Chartered Network, an “asset light” setup of leased and chartered aircraft, covering all the major continents, and which can be tailored for more complex services such as handling healthcare products.

“These relief goods can save the lives of thousands of children,” says Elsbeth Mueller, executive director of the Swiss committee for UNICEF. “On behalf of UNICEF, I deeply thank Panalpina for their help.” Burundi is currently suffering through a cycle of violence, causing a refugee crisis and a shortage of healthcare services. Last year, Panalpina managed a shipment to support the fight against the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, and the year before that, a flight to Central African Republic.