Students Spearhead Effort to Send Discarded Medical Equipment to Developing Countries

Matthew Mireles was reading a magazine article, passing the time on a Southwest Airlines flight, when he was inspired to create a medical surplus recovery program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The article that inspired Mireles was about MediSend/International, a nonprofit organization that collects medical supplies and equipment in the United States, and distributes it free of charge to physicians in developing countries.

Mireles, now a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at the UT-Houston School of Public Health, saw an opportunity for student leadership and responsibility, both to the environment and to patients in need around the world.

Two years later, Mireles’ vision has taken shape at UT-Houston. Representatives from the Student InterCouncil, a campus-wide student organization, and more than 30 faculty and administrators recently celebrated the beginning of a partnership with MediSend/International.

With the support of Dr. Ronald Johnson, students launched a pilot project to collect medical surplus at the UT-Houston Dental Branch, and already faculty members have donated catheters and other supplies and equipment.

After a semester, if the students deem it a success, they will gradually implement the program at the five other schools on the UT-Houston campus.

The university also will hire a fellow to oversee, promote and expand the program and serve as liaison between the UT-Houston schools and MediSend/International. Additionally, the fellow will be responsible for adding a research component to access the program’s effectiveness and sustainability.

Eventually, the students would like to have medical surplus recovery programs at campuses throughout the UT System. Mireles, co-chairman of the Student InterCouncil MediSend/International committee, said The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have expressed an interest in developing similar programs.

Biruh Workeneh, a fourth-year UT-Houston Medical School student who is also a co-chair of the Student InterCouncil MediSend/International committee, said the pilot project is a tribute to the late Dr. Thomas F. Burks II, who was UT-Houston’s executive vice president for research and academic affairs.

Without Dr. Burks’ support, Workeneh said, the Student InterCouncil’s idea for the program never would have become a reality.

"I think it’s important to promote health – not just in the United States, but globally," Workeneh said. "Being involved in MediSend is going to produce more responsible, more engaged, more compassionate physicians, and I think that will add to the value of anyone’s degree."

Neurosurgeon Dr. Martin L. Lazar, chairman and founder of MediSend/International, said launching the program at UT-Houston is an enormous benefit to the environment and to health care providers around the world.

Since 1990, MediSend/ International has sent more than 304 shipments of medical supplies and equipment, valued at $7.5 million, to 66 counties.

"We are taking surplus that has continuing value and placing it in the hands of health care workers worldwide who need it, but have no other means by which to obtain it," Dr. Lazar said.

Every year, the U.S. health care system discards more than $6 billion worth of medical supplies and equipment. Much of that is not biodegradable and needlessly takes up space in landfills or hospital warehouses, Dr. Lazar said.

"These are items that could continue to save lives and prevent suffering," he said.

Dr. Lazar said the program also should teach students who are training to become health care professionals valuable lessons in conservation.

By collecting medical surplus, they will see first hand how much excess there is. He sees this as a tool for teaching future doctors and nurses to be responsible in ordering and using supplies and equipment. When those items become outdated and no longer useful in the United States, it will already be engrained in the health care professionals to donate them to countries where there is a desperate need, Dr. Lazar said.

Because of the partnership with UT-Houston, MediSend/International plans to open a major processing center for surplus and begin a chapter for members in Houston.

"This is only the beginning," Dr. Lazar said. "The students at UT-Houston are leading the way, and they are going to set an example for the entire Texas Medical Center."

To donate supplies and equipment to MediSend/International, call (713) 500-3412.

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/03_01_02/page_18.html