UAE-based telecommunications corporation, Etisalat, has placed large ‘Eticare’ boxes in the foyers of its buildings in the city of Dubai for people to donate unused medicines to help low-income patients.

Medications should not expire for at least six months, syrups and ointments should be unused, and medicines should not require refrigeration.

The initiative, called Medicine Drop Box, falls in line with the UAE’s Year of Giving, and is a collaboration with Al Ihsan Charitable Society, which runs a charitable medical complex that dispenses medicines for free to those in need.

An Etisalat spokesperson told GulfNews that its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team worked on this project very closely with the charity as they realized that there are millions of people worldwide who don’t have access to basic medication and facilities.

“In the UAE, our employees and customers would be pleased to contribute to this worthy initiative especially that all of us have a lot of unused medicines that just go to waste most of the time,” he said.

The donations, accepted till the end of Ramadan, will especially help people with chronic diseases in need of treatment throughout the year.

Etisalat also has a number of other initiatives to support the Emirati government in its goal of giving back to society.

The initiatives have targeted orphans, blue-collar workers, and people in urgent need of blood donations. “Such initiatives also help in engaging our employees actively in the company’s CSR initiatives across the country,” the Etisalat spokesperson was quoted as saying.