SPRING LAKE, Mich. and WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Global humanitarian healthcare agency International Aid and GE Healthcare, a leading developer of transformational medical technologies and services, announced a strategic partnership dedicated to bringing vital, potentially life-saving medical equipment to communities in developing countries. Specific recipient countries have not been determined yet, according to International Aid. GE estimates it will donate about 200 devices annually.

"Through our close relationships with a growing number of corporate donors, International Aid is playing an increasingly significant role in elevating the quality of healthcare in some of the neediest, and often most remote, places on earth," said Myles D. Fish, International Aid's President and CEO. "Our new partnership with GE Healthcare will enable us to take our work to a whole new level, introducing best-in-class medical technologies to communities that have had, until now, very little or no clinical capabilities."

Under the terms of the partnership, GE Healthcare will donate previously used anesthesia machines and ventilators to International Aid.
"We're driving it to expand to multiple facets of GE Healthcare. We've done [equipment donation] within a division here or there [in the past] but now we're really looking centrally to see what we can do within each of the different businesses to help international aid and the third world countries," said Deb Schmaling, Director of Perioperative Marketing, GE Healthcare.

"We are starting with the life support equipment--the anesthesia delivery systems and the ICU ventilators--and expanding to monitoring, to internal infant care solutions such as incubators and warmers, and also ultrasound." She noted that the equipment comes from GE customers in hospitals and surgical centers who are upgrading their technology.

GE will also provide training to International Aid engineering staff to enable International Aid to service the equipment. International Aid will refurbish and distribute the products overseas. International Aid will also provide education and product support to help local hospitals successfully deploy the donated equipment.

The partnership will significantly extend an important component of International Aid's mission -- leveraging the involvement of corporate and ministry partners to bring medical products and services to those in need. International Aid, Christian relief agency, is currently a leading non-profit refurbisher and distributor of donated medical equipment.

More Industry Headlines