Church Helps Overcome Pharmaceutical Poverty in Italy

Latter-day Saint Charities, the global humanitarian organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worked in collaboration with Banco Farmaceutico over the last three years to provide both volunteer and financial assistance to help overcome pharmaceutical poverty in Italy.

“Thanks to all the friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the great help they gave us to help poor people in Italy, reported Dr. Sergio Daniotti, President of Banco Farmaceutico. The Church’s collaboration with Banco Farmaceutico provided important medicine for impoverished migrants and refugees.”

“Each year since 2013 vital medicines have been donated, cataloged and dispensed. Most recently 420 pharmacies served as collection locations in the country that supplied 125 charitable health organizations with the needed medicine. The Church’s financial contribution and volunteers assisted in the national expansion of this project. The table shows the growth of the project with medicines recovered, their value and the year completed,” reported Elder Bob Gale, Humanitarian missionary serving in Italy.

# of Medicines	Value	Year
18,804	$ 259,765	2013
138,698	$2,350,213	2018
204,806	$3,511,293	2019
541,175	$4,602,972	2020 YTD

“On the second Saturday of February each year, over four hundred volunteers from The Church assisted with Banco Farmaceutico in a Drug Collection Day. This day of promotion was in addition to the ongoing collection effort throughout the year”.

“This year for the 20th anniversary of the founding of Banco Farmaceutico, collection efforts were dedicated for a full week in February. Participation was very good from citizens, announced Dr. Daniotti. It is encouraging that many pharmaceutical companies also continue to donate and presently, quantities are significantly larger than previous years.”

“This project represents a tangible and permanent sign of the fight against health poverty which has become more acute in the last decade. The current Corona crisis impacts not only the weakest, but many in our society are forced to cut back on health care”, reported Dr. Filippo Ciantia, Directtore Generale, Banco Farmaceutico. “We were delighted to be a part of this effort, ministering to the needs of others as the Savior taught”, added Elder Bob Gale.

Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints