Rotary In Action
There’s a busy but quiet warehouse in the Hills that’s changing lives and outcomes around the world while saving valuable resources from becoming landfill here.
MediShare is a Rotary International initiative supported by volunteers from all over Sydney who come to the Hills facility to repurpose medical equipment to where it is needed.
While Rotary has been shipping donated items to countries in need for 50 years it became apparent that a need for a service totally focussed on medical equipment was also needed.
Rotarian Keith Roffey has run MediShare since it was founded in 2020 with Janis Harvey.
The medical surplus recovery service works with Government and Non Government Organisations to redirect in-date and useful items.
Since 2020 it has sent containers filled with equipment (including thousands of Covid testing kits) to: Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, PNG and Ukraine
The organisation is also the only group outside America to be accredited by MedSurplus Alliance to assemble Kits4Life to be sent where needed. It enables clinical trial sites to donate surplus lab kits and supplies (including unused syringes and collection tubes).
Keith says MediShare is working with 14 international pharmaceutical company. “They send us unused kits to us, Volunteers de-link the product (removing all the bar codes) and sort them out into bulk packs and ship them overseas.
“MediShare has also shipped 115,000 blankets to Jordan for Gaza refugees, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, Fiji and Bangladesh. The containers have also included humidity cribs, crutches, walkers and wheelchairs.
“We strengthen the health system for these countries but also save a lot of good equipment from landfill. Whatever we do has to be sustainable and what we do send over is useable. It has to be managed properly. It has to be achieving something,” says Keith.
It costs $12,000 for each container and shipping costs are covered by Rotary clubs and charities for projects and partnerships they are involved in. But some communities need support. “If we had some regular (financial) donations we could help,” said Keith. He says smaller Pacific Islands such as Kiribati would definitely benefit from help with shipping costs.
“TB in Kiribati and Leprosy is rife.They could use these products. “
Medishare works with big organisations and pharmaceutical companies on corporate volunteer days and the day I visited Bayer staff were repacking Kits4Life. Tonnes have been saved from landfill. MediShare also works with Rotary Club volunteers and community volunteers.
Schools can also organise packing days and Rotarians from clubs across Sydney volunteer. Alan Grady from Norwest Rotary, Chris Johnson from Carlingford Rotary Club and Richard Bell are regular volunteers who I met on the day of my visit along with Rae-anne Medforth from the Rotary Club Sydney Darling Harbour.
To find out more visit: www.medishare.org.To make a donation or an inquiry email [email protected] or call Janis on 0415 439 022
