Inuvik (June 27/03) - Some doctors and patients in Third World countries will soon be receiving a gift from the people of Inuvik.

A truckload of surplus medical equipment that will find its way to countries in desperate need of even basic supplies was shipped south last week.

Keith Mennie is a pilot with Aklak Air and calls Saskatoon, Sask. home. Mennie spends much of his spare time working for a relief agency called Canadian Food for the Hungry.

When Mennie heard that much of the old hospital equipment was to be thrown out when the hospital moved into a new building, wheels started turning.

At a church meeting last October, Mennie mentioned his plan to try to get some of the used equipment and ship it to needy countries. Fellow church member Simon Jozzy sought approval for the project from the health authority.

Once they had permission from the hospital, they sought out Matco Ltd., who donated an empty trailer to ship the gear to Saskatoon.

"They'll unload it in Saskatoon and fix what needs to be fixed and reload it into a container and ship it to whoever needs it," Mennie said.

They figure it will cost about $17,000 to ship the load of beds, incubators, IV stands and other equipment to the Third World.

"The challenge on this end is getting the equipment that has the most value," he said.

Mennie and Jozzy went through the surplus equipment and found what could be most useful, keeping in mind that many hospitals don't have electricity.

Mennie learned first-hand about some of the conditions doctors worked in at bush hospitals while he was flying in the Congo from 1999 to 2001.

"They have nothing in some of these places," he said.

Mark Emde, regional director for Canadian Food for the Hungry, said once the shipment arrives they will give each piece the once over before shipping it out.

"We make sure everything is in working order and then we pack it into 40-foot containers and send it to hospitals in developing nations around the world," Emde said.

The agency has on-going projects, but also works as a broker for World Concern, Compassion Canada and other foundations to move much-needed equipment, food and supplies around the world.

"We have our own places, but we are also partnered with other organizations," he said. "We see that it gets to places that really can't afford to buy what they need."

"It's an amazing project really."

Even the most basic of supplies like hospital beds and operating tables are sorely needed in some of the disaster and famine-stricken countries they work with, so Emde said the Inuvik equipment will be put to good use.

"If you're a doctor in some of these places with nothing to work with, a 15-year-old piece of equipment can seem brand-new."