MAIN will continue to secure large amounts of aid, equipment, medicines and volunteers for Kurdistan in 2020.

Among our projects are:

Medical care

MAIN works closely with local and regional health authorities and IDP/refugee camp managements to provide care for individual medical cases. We have coordinated and secured surgeries for Kurdish children in the KRG ( Kurdistan regional government ), India and Italy, in addition to cancer treatments and medications, and will continue to do so in 2020 and 2021.

Shipments of medical equipment

MAIN will secure shipment of containers of aid for Kurdistan in 2020 and 2021. This includes larger shipments of hospital equipment, machines and consumables from global health actors, governments and NGOs.

Shipments of medicines

MAIN will secure donations of medicines for Kurdistan for Millions of USD from our partners in the US, Australia and Europe in 2020. A test shipment of USD 420 000 from one of these partners arrived in Kurdistan in December 2019 and is already distributed to public hospitals in the KRG. Throughout 2020 and 2021, we will continue to build an broader network of organizations and individuals to bring even more help to Kurdistan.

Preventetive health measures

MAIN has a strong focus on preventetive health measures and the benefits of these measures from both a public health and a socioeconomically point of view. In close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Health, we will strive to secure global donations of equipment and products that promotes better public health. Among these are containers of blankets, sleeping bags and hygiene products for the IDP/ refugee camps. Preventetive health measures will secure both better health conditions and effectively lower the pressure on the capacity on the local and regional health facilities.

PET-scan

MAIN has established a project in cooperation with the Directorate of Health in Duhok, in order to secure a PET-scan machine for Duhok from international donors. This will be the base of a better public health offer for oncology patients in Duhok Governate. As of today, there is no PET-scan machines in the public health sector in KRG or Iraq, equipment that is necessary to secure effective treatment of cancer patients. A single PET-scan test will cost approximately USD 1200, an amount that a large number of poor families and refugees can not afford. A PET-scan machine in a public health facility will make an enormous difference for the ability to cure those who suffer from cancer and other illnesses. A PET-scan machine of the sort needed for Kurdistan will cost approximately USD 5 Million.

Medical volunteers

MAIN has a large number of international medical volunteers in our network. There is a vast need for medical volunteers in several districts of the KRG, especially in connection with IDP/refugee camps and settlements. If accommodation, logistics and public translators are provided for these volunteers, they will be able to serve for both shorter and longer terms in the public health sector in various places in the KRG through MAIN.

International networks

Through our humanitarian work in Greece, Hungary, Lebanon, Rojava, Syria, Kurdistan and Iraq, MAIN has created a massive and effective network among other organizations and among individual volunteers. This network includes organizations and individual volunteers in the field of medicine, emergency aid, supplies and general humanitarian field work. Our objective is to create a broad, dedicated and effective network to secure massive and long term aid operations in Kurdistan.

Increase competence

In various fields of medicine, Kurdistan suffers from a lack of sufficient competence and experienced staff. Among these are anesthesiology, intensive care, gynecology and several types of surgery. As a result of this lack of competence and equipment, a large number of surgeries are performed abroad at a far higher cost. As much as 70% of the total cost pr case can be related to logistic and recovery, not for the sugery in itself. To solve this, MAIN will work to recruite international doctors to work with local and regional health centers in these fields, both for surgeries on patients, and for training purposes for the Kurdish medical staffs.

Other aid projects for children

In a close cooperation with Swedish volunteers and the DOH in Duhok, MAIN secured hearing aids for Kurdish patients for approximately USD 25 000 in 2019. In 2020, MAIN has already, through our Swedish network, secured hearing aids for an additional USD 300 000 for Kurdish patients. We will continue to secure new amounts of these devices, and also work to secure cochlea implants for Kurdish patients through donors in Sweden. MAIN will also work closely with the DOH in Duhok in order to perform eye tests on both Kurdish children and refugee children who are in need of glasses, and to secure glasses as donations from Norwegian companies. Our vice chairman of the board is an optician and will be responsible for this project.