Editorial: Unneeded donations can hurt relief effort

When disaster strikes elsewhere in the world, Americans are known for their generosity in assisting relief efforts. But the New York Times reported last week on troubling news that some U.S. companies were sending medical supplies to Kosovo that were of little use. Officials from the World Health Organization told the newspaper that relief agencies in desperate need of antibiotics and insulin were instead receiving large shipments of lip balm, hemorrhoid cream and anti-smoking inhalers -- donations that permit the products' makers to receive tax breaks.

Relief agencies often face a Hobson's choice regarding unneeded donations. They often are reluctant to turn down offers -- no matter how impractical -- for fear of offending donors, who then may not contribute to future efforts. But if they accept unnecessary medical donations, then they can rack up huge bills to get rid of the supplies, many of which have a shelf life of only a few months.

This isn't the first time this has happened. A 1997 article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that as much as half of the 30,000 tons of medical supplies donated to Bosnia and Herzegovina were of virtually no use. It's been estimated that it took more than $30 million to properly destroy the drugs, which were considered chemical wastes.

The companies that donate need to reassess their procedures so they conform to the World Health Organization's voluntary guidelines, which require that donations be sent based on what is actually needed. The guidelines also say that these medical supplies should only be sent with the consent of the relief agency distributing them. In addition, Congress should hold hearings to see if companies are unfairly taking advantage of tax breaks by dumping unneeded products. There is no reason why the United States should contribute in any way to make a bad situation even worse for a nation hit by a disaster.

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