Improved treatment of jaundice at Péterfy Sándor Utca Hospital
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Péterfy Sándor Street Hospital in Budapest is one of the largest level-2 NICUs in the country.
Each year, the unit cares for between 500 and 600 premature infants, with a capacity to accommodate 20 to 30 babies at any given time.
For the past decade, the Robert Burns International Foundation has been a generous supporter of the unit, making regular high-value donations to help the medical team provide safer and more effective care for these vulnerable patients, significantly enhancing their daily operations.
In 2024, the Robert Burns International Foundation donated HUF 5 million for use in various fields. One area was the treatment of jaundice, a common ailment in premature babies, so part of the funding raised at the Burns Supper was used to buy a transcutaneous bilirubinometer.
Dr. Boross explains:
The degree of jaundice in newborns has so far only been determined by blood tests. The transcutaneous bilirubinometer enables the level of bile in the blood to be determined without having to resort to using needles and syringes. This saves the little patients (and nurses) from having to give/take blood samples several times a day, and the procedure is much faster, more cost-effective and more beneficial in every way.
In terms of treatment, the RBIF donation also funded the purchase of a bilirubin lamp. This modern piece of equipment allows the medical staff to treat neonatal jaundice more effectively, and for shorter periods, which is much more convenient than the procedure previously employed with older devices.
With over 500 babies passing through the department every year, keeping textiles and linen clean and hygienic is one of the main priorities. So when it transpired that the main washing machine had broken down, the RBIF donation was able to finance a quality Miele washing machine that is designed to cope with such workloads.
With the professional washing machine, we can wash the newborns’ clothes and bed linen in the ward in a hygienic way – added Dr. Boross.
Finally, the 2024 donation was rounded off with 2 new medicine cabinets as well as 10 new breastfeeding chairs and stools, equally important parts of the furniture in such an important department of the Péterfy Sándor Street Hospital.
