Johannesburg – Aspen, a leading global specialty and branded multinational pharmaceutical company, has positively responded to humanitarian calls for relief following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, along with a series of strong tremors and aftershocks, that tore through southeast Turkey and northwest Syria on 6 February 2023.
Stavros Nicolaou, Aspen Group Senior Executive Strategic Trade Development said, “Aspen has a reputation of responding to regional pandemics and humanitarian crises, both in our country and internationally. This is consistent with our core business philosophies of building sustainable communities where we have a presence and providing humanitarian relief to communities impacted by catastrophic events. The earthquakes experienced in both Syria and Turkey have devastated families and communities and inflicted significant human suffering. At these times we need to demonstrate a spirit of Ubuntu and stand in solidarity with vulnerable societies as we have done in the past. Aspen has responded by donating humanitarian relief in the form of critical care medicines which are used in emergency surgeries as well as thousands of blankets to ward off freezing conditions that are leading to patients contracting infections and becoming severely ill from hypothermic complications.”
Her Excellency Ms Aysegul Kandas, Turkish Ambassador to South Africa, said, “On behalf of the government and people of Türkiye, I express my heartfelt appreciation for the outpouring of support and generosity from Aspen Pharmacare and the people of South Africa in response to the recent disaster that has befallen our country. Your donations of medicines, blankets, and other humanitarian relief items will provide much-needed aid to those affected by this tragedy. Your kindness and compassion have given us hope during this difficult time and I hope that this action will inspire others to join us in our efforts to help those in need. I believe that efforts like these will further strengthen the friendly ties between the peoples of Türkiye and South Africa.”
Aspen confirmed that the critical care medicines and blankets are on route to Turkey and are expected to arrive in that country in due course. Aspen has a strong business presence in the Middle East and also distributes a range of pharmaceutical products in this territory.
Aspen has engaged in similar relief efforts by donating life-saving medicines to treat 62 000 patients in the Ukraine and also repatriating 25 South African students who were stranded in that country at the onset of the war. It also donated thousands of medicines to Lebanon during the gas explosion that decimated parts of Beirut. Domestically, Aspen significantly contributed to restoring medical services in KwaZulu-Natal (“KZN”) following the rioting and looting that took place in that province in July 2021, and it has provided relief to victims of flooding in KZN where communities were devastated by natural disasters.
