Bajcsy-Zsilinsky Hospital, Budapest, 2020

, , ,

For the second year running and in cooperation with our long-time sponsor Budapest Airport, the RBIF was able to support the Neonatal Department at the Bajcsy-Zsilinsky Hospital in Budapest’s 10th district.

The department cares for approximately 200 babies each year, with between 15 and 20 babies on the ward at any one time. They are currently undergoing a renovation which will provide them with two wings within the department, one for natural births and the other for C-section births.

The RBIF was able to provide two pieces of equipment this year. The first item was a Bionet Patient Monitor. This device is versatile, compact, portable and lightweight, making it easy to move from room to room, and it provides advanced parameters and analysis for accurate patient care, which can be so important in those first few hours of a newborn’s life.

The second item the hospital asked for was an incubator, but this time an open incubator. One advantage of this type of incubator, as opposed to a closed one, is that although it does not have the same level of control over humidity, it is easier to achieve that all important skin-to-skin contact as it is possible to touch the baby from above.

Senior neonatologist at the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital, Dr. Judit Jeager, revealed that:

The open incubator, which is also a warming-resuscitation table, was used in our temporary operating theatre from the moment it arrived at the hospital. The new open incubator is used daily by babies born by c-section for whom it is so necessary to be placed in a warm environment. Currently, our temporary operating theatre is part of the hospital’s operating theatre wing, where it is cooler than otherwise optimal for newborns due to the central air conditioning. Our new open incubator heats up perfectly to the desired temperature so that newborns do not cool down during care.

According to Dr. Jeager, the renovation of the department has been underway since October, which means that neither the maternity ward, nor the operating theatre (dedicated for c-sections) are usable. Both are at temporary locations within the hospital, which is why it has been extremely important to be able to provide newborns with modern equipment. When the reconstruction is complete, they will be able to use both devices in the renovated maternity ward and in the theatre.

We thank the Foundation for its support in modernising the equipment of the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital’s Neonatal Department.

2nd Dept. of Paediatrics, SOTE, Budapest, 2020

, , ,

The Robert Burns International Foundation has donated equipment to the 2nd Department of Paediatrics at Semmelweis University in Tűzoltó utca every year since the roots of the Foundation were laid in 1998.

Following in his late father’s footsteps, Professor Dr. György Fekete led the 2nd Department until his semi-retirement in 2009. Author of 118 paediatric publications with 1034 citations, we are proud that he continues to advise the Foundation each year on deserving causes for the support of sick and underprivileged children around Hungary. In such capacities, he has long been recognised as one of the country’s unsung heroes for sick children.

In 2010, recommended by the British Embassy, Professor Fekete led the highly successful Royal Visit of the Duchess of Cornwall and the British Ambassador around this department. The Foundation is lucky to continue to be advised by a man of such professional international standing and integrity.

This year, the second department requested Electro-Thermal Bipolar Vessel Sealing (EBVS) equipment for electro surgery. This is used for sealing blood vessels of up to 7mm in diameter.

The devices fuse vessel walls and create seals using a combination of electrical current and mechanical pressure, creating strong seals via the targeted, feedback-controlled delivery of compression and heat, resulting in significantly less intraoperative and postoperative bleeding. – Dr. Zoltán Jenővári, Head of Surgery.

Long overdue in SOTE II, the technology was originally introduced in 1998 and since then has been used widely for a variety of laparoscopic and open surgical procedures worldwide, making them safer and more efficient. The procedure especially benefits children with challenging tumours.

Dr. Jenővári added:

We are extremely pleased that the Foundation supported the acquisition of these devices which provide much help in improving the surgical treatment of hundreds of our patients every year. Our grateful thanks in the name of the patients and surgeons as well.

 

Szent György University Hospital, Székesfehérvár, 2020

, , , ,

The SME Sponsorship Scheme has gone from strength to strength since it was launched a number of years ago, and we were delighted this year to be able to support a hospital in Fejér county for the first time.

Norhot Kft. is a real estate company based in Budapest, and the owners joined our scheme for the first time in 2020, identifying Fejér county as the region that they wished to support.

As is custom with our new donations we turned to the RBIF’s medical adviser, Professor György Fekete, to help us in our search for a worthy beneficiary. We were put in contact with Dr Gábor Simon, who runs the paediatric department at the Szent György University Hospital in Székesfehérvár.

The doctors and nurses at the paediatric department revealed that volumetric pumps would be most useful for their daily work, and asked if we could help. Thanks to the generosity of Norhot Kft., and with the RBIF matching the donation, we were able to fund the purchase of two Alaris volumetric pumps and an infusion stand.

According to Dr Simon,

The Alaris volumetric pumps are extremely useful for the department. When treating children, especially those in critical conditions, it is crucial for fluid and volume replacement to be precise and aligned with body weight. Medicines administered in certain infusions can be dosed with precision thanks to the volumetric pumps.

The pumps offer a versatile and flexible platform for infusion therapy, which is suitable across a broad range of applications, and they have a range of features suited to drug therapy, blood transfusions and parenteral feeding, with a large, clear display and intuitive operation.

A big thank you to Norhot Kft. for their kind donation, and for agreeing to continue their involvement in 2021, so we can look forward to completing another project next year.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Debrecen University Clinical Centre, 2020

, , ,

Every year the Robert Burns International Foundation encourages small and medium-sized businesses to get involved in our charity work by means of the SME Sponsorship Scheme.

Running for several years now, this scheme enables companies to make targeted donations to specific projects helping sick and underprivileged children around the country. All donations are doubled by the RBIF to really make a difference to the project in question. What is more, the sponsor in question can choose which part of the country they wish to support.

WhiskyNet need no introduction to those who are familiar with the Annual Budapest Burns Supper. A long-standing and successful company ensuring Hungary is well supplied with the finest whiskies that Scotland and the world has to offer, not to mention a fine supply of gins and rums, the owners Zsolt and Kati contacted the RBIF in early 2020 with their intention to join the SME Sponsorship Scheme. After identifying eastern Hungary as their preferred area, and following the advice of our medical adviser Prof. György Fekete, we settled on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Debrecen University Clinical Centre.

Discussions with Head Physician Tamás Kovács resulted in the choice of equipment being a Novos Bililed Maxi device, which is used for the phototherapy treatment of jaundice in newborn babies.

Jaundice is a common phenomenon in the days immediately after birth; it is generally mild, and soon passes by itself. However, high levels of bilirubin in the blood can cause the jaundice to more pronounced, leading to drowsiness, eating difficulties and therefore dehydration. In some cases jaundice can be a symptom of more extreme underlying diseases, which in turn can cause brain damage and/or require blood transfusions.

Head Physician Tamás Kovács:

This device purchased with the help of the Robert Burns International Foundation is very effective and can be used continuously. It converts the bilirubin in the skin making it easier to travel harmlessly through the body. It helps newborns and premature babies to overcome their jaundice more quickly, and in serious cases to avoid risky blood transfusions, and we could not have purchased it without the help of the RBIF.

Péterfy Sándor Hospital, Budapest, 2020

, , ,

The Péterfy Sándor Street Hospital, located in District 7, is one of Budapest’s oldest and largest hospitals in Budapest with nearly 1,600 beds, where patients can be treated for many different ailments and conditions. 

The neonatal wing is run by Dr Gábor Baross who, with the support of his team, can deal with anything between 500 and 600 premature babies every year with a maximum capacity to accommodate 20 to 30 babies at any one time.

This department of the hospital has been a beneficiary of support from the Robert Burns International Foundation for many years, and following the most recent donation of equipment received in 2019, a further easing and enabling of the teams to work with premature babies, was planned in 2020.

The funds provided by the Foundation made the departments work easier and the care of premature babies became safer. During the year the department’s wards were renovated and the “kis-mama” rooms were redecorated.

Further donations also enabled replacement of the old workstations of the preterm-infant nurses, providing them with modern, much more practical and comfortable ones.

According to Gábor Boross:

This not only means better working conditions for the nurses and employees, it also helps us ensure safer patient care.

Completing the year’s donation also provided for 3 Mindray uMEC 10-12 monitors complete with stands and accessories for them. These monitors are fixtures in the department and are used on a daily basis. In past years the RBIF has donated several monitors of this type, and they have proven their reliability with easy and user-friendly operation. Their constant usage dictates that over time they need to be replaced, and thanks to the generosity of the guests and sponsors of the annual Burns Supper the Robert Burns International Foundation is able to help make sure that the department always has the necessary number of functional and reliable equipment at its disposal.

Szent Rafael Hospital, Zalaegerszeg: first 2020 project completed

, , ,

January 2020 seems so long away now given all that has happened in the meantime, but at the RBIF we have been working hard to make sure the funds raised at the 23rd Annual Burns Supper are spent on worthy causes, as promised.

We have supported the paediatric unit at the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg for a number of years now, in collaboration with FirstMed Centers, as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme.

PrintPrint

With the continued help of Dennis Diokno and his team, along with funds raised at the Burns Supper, were we able to purchase three different sizes of videolaryngoscope along with a monitor that has wifi capability. Videolaryngoscopy is a technique that utilises video camera technology to visualise airway structures and facilitate endotracheal intubation.

Particularly in the current situation this equipment is extremely important to the functioning of the department. Dr. László Gárdos, Chief Physician of the Paediatric Department at the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg, said:

When the Premature Baby Rescue and Paediatric IC Foundation was established we undertook to save the lives of premature babies, and to support, in any way possible, those children who are seriously ill and require intensive care.

We have been doing so for 10 years, and over this time we have received the support of the Robert Burns International Foundation on several occasions, for which we are extremely grateful!

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Donation to 2nd Dept. of Paediatrics, Budapest for PPE

, ,

In retrospect we were lucky to be able to hold our Burns Supper in late January 2020, given that so many events have been cancelled since March, and we still don’t know when things will return to normal.

But Covid-19 has not stopped the RBIF working away behind the scenes, identifying worthy projects to donate to from the funds raised by all our sponsors, guests and supporters in January, and we will shortly be finalising all the beneficiaries.

In the meantime though we have been thinking about how we can provide some extra assistance to help Hungarian doctors and nurses through these unprecedented times, and this is why we are delighted to announce that in conjunction with Eszter Balázs from 4 The Clients we have made an extra donation of HUF 300,000 to the 2nd Department of Paediatrics in Tűzoltó utca.

This donation is specifically to help purchase personal protective equipment for the staff there who are in day-to-day contact with the children in the oncology wards suffering from various forms of cancer. With their weakened immune systems they are very vulnerable patients, and so we are happy to contribute to ensuring their care is as safe as possible.

Eszter is no stranger to those who attend RBIF events. For the last 4 years she has been a staunch supporter of our projects, allocating to the RBIF part of her own well-earned commissions as an insurance consultant. We will shortly have more information for you about a separate project that Eszter is working on with us for the rest of 2020, stay tuned for that.

We hope to have more details available for you soon about all our 2020 projects, but until then, stay safe!

 

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Projects 2019 – Péterfy Sándor Hospital, Budapest

, ,

The Péterfy Sándor Street Hospital, located in District 7, is one of Budapest’s oldest and largest hospitals in Budapest with nearly 1,600 beds, where patients can be treated for an array of ailments and conditions.

The RBIF has been working closely with the hospital for a number of years, focusing on improving and providing equipment on the neonatal wing, which treats and cares for newborn children, primarily premature babies.

The neonatal wing is run by Dr Gábor Baross who, with the support of his team, can deal with anything between 500 – 600 premature babies every year. Given the wing can only accommodate 20/30 babies at any one time, if one was to say the wing is running at capacity, it would be somewhat of an understatement. Dr Baross also explained that to compound this problem, it is getting harder and harder to recruit and retain skilled and qualified nurses.

What defines a premature baby in need of help from Dr Baross and his colleagues? A premature baby is anything weighing between 500 grams to 1 kilogram. A baby born under 500 grams has a 20/30% survival rate, and then only a 30% chance of being healthy. Depending on the diagnosis, the baby will then spend anything between 4 weeks to 4 months within the confines of an incubator. Dr Baross welcomes visits from the parents, but this needs to be managed carefully as there can be up to 5 incubators in 1 room, meaning circulation space can be at a premium.

In 2019 we donated a professional, electronic breast pump device and accessories for the hospital, providing further convenience for the mothers on the ward.

We asked Dr Baross why this was important:

Breast milk is the perfect source of nutrition for newborns and premature babies. It is particularly important for the very small and vulnerable babies to receive breast milk, and this gives them protection against infections and helps their development. These babies are often not able to suck the quantity of milk that they need, and they can sometimes be hampered by other factors, such as if they are ventilated. Using this equipment we can ensure that they receive the best nutrition, their mother’s breast milk.

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about all of our projects and events. You can also sign up to our mailing list here.

 

 

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Projects 2019 – Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital, Budapest

, ,

Following the generosity of the sponsors and the guests at the Burns Supper in 2019 and in cooperation with our long-time sponsor Budapest Airport, the RBIF sought a new project close to the airport.

Advice was given by medical adviser Professor Fekete, who recommended the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital, situated in Budapest’s 10th district.

After consultations with hospital management and doctors, the RBIF provided two items, one being a NeoPuff battery-operated resuscitator. This small device helps to inflate a newborn’s lungs in a manner that regulates the pressure of the air being pumped into the lungs, avoiding potential lung damage caused by manually pumped air being pumped too vigorously. The second was an Atom Air Incubator – the department now has 3 incubators.

The department cares for approximately 200 babies each year, with between 15 and 20 babies on the ward at any one time. They are planning a renovation which should start in early 2020 and be completed within 3 months. The work will provide them with two wings within the department, one being for natural births, the other for C-section births. The respiratory device that they have just received means they now have two, one for each wing. Part of their renovation will include a mother and baby incubator room – up until now a baby needing that special care for the initial post-birth period was separated, in the most part, from his or her mother. This will no longer be the case.

Dr. Judit Jeager explained why these items were chosen:

The new incubator means that the hospital can place one at the entrance for cases when a mother feels that, for some reason, she is unable to care for her newborn, or perhaps that the baby would be better off being cared for by someone else. She can place her child in the incubator, safe in the knowledge that the baby will receive full medical attention. It is possible for the mother to change her mind within 60 days, if she feels that her earlier actions were a mistake, and be reunited with her baby. This system is used successfully at several hospitals throughout Hungary and here at the Bajcsy Hospital we would like to offer such an opportunity.

The NeoPuff resuscitator is an extremely safe way of resuscitating newborns. Prior to this, a manual “balloon-type” resuscitator was used, but as it is possible to set the air pressure on this piece of equipment, it is far safer to use.  We have used it several times and always with good results.

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about all of our projects and events. You can also sign up to our mailing list here.

 

 

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Projects 2019 – Hódmezővásárhely/Makó

, ,

The RBIF’s SME Sponsorship Scheme is not just about helping small and medium-sized companies take part in our fundraising and donation activities, it’s also about building relationships.

This is why the RBIF once again made the journey down to southern Hungary this year to develop our contacts with the doctors and staff at the Hódmezővásárhely Hospital in Csongrád county. Our donation last year helped the hospital here along with its partner institution in Makó, and this year was no different.

Stuart McAlister of Inter Relocation Kft. was keen to get involved once more in the SME Sponsorship Scheme following the successes enjoyed in previous years, and he too was pleased with the outcome of this year’s donation.

I’m delighted to confirm that for a second year, Inter Relocation has been able to contribute to the development of the hospitals in Makó and Hódmezővásárhely. The equipment we have co-sponsored, together with the Robert Burns International Foundation, will help to monitor and stabilise new-born babies in a critical condition, making the incredible work the doctors and nurses do at the two hospitals a little easier.

Having consulted with Dr Ferenc Papp, consultant physician and head of department at the paediatric unit in Hódmezővásárhely, we purchased a Neopuff resuscitation device along with two pulse oximeters, one for each hospital, using the donation from Inter Relocation doubled by the funds raised at the 2019 Burns Supper.

During our visit to the hospital, Dr Papp explained that the design of this portable resuscitation device makes it much easier to use, even for extended periods, and there is no danger of supplying too much or too little oxygen or exerting too much pressure, which can happen with purely manual devices. All in all, it ensures safer and more reliable treatment in what are very difficult situations.

Medical Director for the two hospitals Dr Katalin Havasi: We are extremely grateful that the Robert Burns International Foundation has again given its selfless support to helping the newborns in our hospital grow and get better, thereby enabling us to provide the highest level of care that we can to all of the little ones in need of help.

The SME Sponsorship Scheme is an ideal way for companies to start a CSR programme or perhaps expand an existing one, and we at the RBIF are happy to help. We are happy that Inter Relocation will be back again in 2020 to keep their commitment going.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to give a little back in this way and plan to continue our cooperation with these hospitals in 2020.”, added Stuart McAlister

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about all of our projects and events. You can also sign up to our mailing list here.

 

 

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) is supported by the British Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. The Honorary President of the foundation is Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United football club. In the last 20 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]