UNITED NATIONS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said on Wednesday they arranged for the flight into Haiti of medicine, medical supplies and aid staff that are critical for relief efforts in the beleaguered country.
"Air transport, in addition to moving humanitarian staff, was able to bring more than 800 kilos of medicine, including blood bags, and other medical supplies in the country," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"These supplies have been critical for the health response by UN agencies and NGOs (nongovernmental organizations), with health facilities being severely affected by the violence," OCHA said.
OCHA said using air transport allowed humanitarian organizations to bring enough staff into the country to continue delivering aid.
The office also said the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed more than 8,400 hot meals to people forced to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince, the capital city.
Florencia Soto Nino, a UN spokeswoman, said the airlift on Tuesday was operated by the WFP's UN Humanitarian Air Service. ■
