It’s off to the Caribbean! Our first project with Global EMS Entwicklungshilfe GmbH took us into little-known territory – to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. The special challenge: transporting an ultrasound machine that had to arrive at the hospital on time for a training course. This was the organization’s first export outside the European Union. For us, precise planning with a sufficiently large time contingent, as there are no direct flights.
The entire transportation from Frankfurt (Oder) to Hewanorra International Airport on St. Lucia therefore had to be designed in such a way that delays, for example due to a missed connecting flight, would not jeopardize the schedule. We had to overcome the first hurdle before the ultrasound device could even leave Germany: we had to apply for the EORI number for customs in advance, which delayed the collection.
But the first hurdle was also to be the last: The shipment arrived on time in St. Lucia on November 3 and could be imported without any problems. We worked smoothly with our local logistics partner, enabling the hospital to take delivery of the ultrasound machine ten days before the training course. We benefited from the fact that we are very familiar with customs law and special regulations for relief supplies. This saved time and resources.
Global EMS Entwicklungshilfe, based in Berlin, is dedicated in particular to strengthening emergency medicine in developing countries and has enshrined this in its name: Global Emergency Medicine Strengthening. For example, they train staff in healthcare facilities, provide direct medical aid in the event of natural disasters or staff shortages and make donations in kind available.
Other important aspects of the organization’s work are the evaluation of existing healthcare systems in the countries, as well as the development, implementation and promotion of effective medical strategies. This will, for example, create procedures that arm developing countries against the risks of climate change and allow them to set up their own management and disaster preparedness systems.
