This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Claude de Ville de Goyet, MD
World Health Organization Washington, DC

JAMA. 1993;269(8):986.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—I read with great interest the article by Drs Rosenblatt and Silverman¹ on donations of unused surgical supplies to developing countries. Indeed, with the quality control and ethical safeguards mentioned by the authors, such an initiative will help to alleviate chronic shortages in poorer countries. Of particular importance to the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, its Regional Office for the Americas, is the emphasis the authors place on "the right of recipients to specify their needs and evaluate (and possibly refuse) given products."

Unfortunately, experience has shown that even under "normal" circumstances, this right is sometimes overlooked by certain charities. In the aftermath of disasters, the situation is even worse: unclassified supplies of all kinds represent up to 85% of the donations and are, at best, a mixed blessing. Too often, health institutions (well intentioned or simply seeking a tax shelter) and . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Edited by Drummond Rennie, MD, Deputy Editor (West), and Margaret A. Winker, MD, Senior Editor.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?