Szent Rafael Hospital, Zalaegerszeg: first 2020 project completed

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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.

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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: info@rbif.hu

“10 éve együtt a gyermekekért – 10 Years for Children!”

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On Saturday 15 February 2020 the Robert Burns International Foundation together with the British Embassy took part in the 10th Anniversary Ball of the Premature Baby Rescue and Paediatric IC Foundation in Zalaegerszeg, a body that performs sterling work with premature babies and young children in western Hungary, saving the lives of 1500 children over the last decade.

Together with long-standing sponsor FirstMed Centers the RBIF has been supporting the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg since 2018, providing much needed equipment to help facilitate the crucial work performed there by the local doctors and nurses.

Also present at the ball were Hungarian doctors who previously worked temporarily under the NHS in the UK, but have since come back to put their know-how to good use at home. UK Ambassador Iain Lindsay was the patron of the evening, and the Embassy was represented by Deputy Head of Mission Steven Dick.

We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the Szent Rafael Hospital and FirstMed in the course of 2020:

Photos: Kálóczi Photo

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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: info@rbif.hu

2018 Projects: Hódmezővásárhely/Makó

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In recent years the RBIF has been intensifying its activities beyond the boundaries of the capital Budapest, and 2018 was no exception.

As part of the SME Sponsorship Scheme, and as ever with the medical advice from Professor György Fekete, former director of the 2nd Department of Paediatrics at SOTE II in Budapest, we got in contact with Ferenc Papp, consultant physician and head of department at the paediatric unit in Hódmezővásárhely in southern Hungary.

Having teamed up with the RBIF in 2017, the staff at Inter Relocation Kft. again demonstrated their willingness to get involved with this ever-growing scheme organised by the RBIF. Such was the donation provided by Inter Relocation, and doubled by funds raised at the 2018 Burns Supper, that we were able to buy not just two but in fact three infusion pumps.

During our visit to the hospital in Makó in December 2018, where one of the pumps is already in use, Dr Papp explained that “the pump enables IV fluids and also medicines to be dosed very accurately compared to gravity-based drips”, which really enhances the standard of care. Until the RBIF donation was handed over, the hospital in Makó did not have any such infusion pump. The other two pumps are now also being used in Hódmezővásárhely.

In Makó, the RBIF represented by Chairman Douglas Arnott was accompanied by HM Ambassador Iain Lindsay, Honorary Patron of the RBIF, and Stuart McAlister, Managing Director at Inter Relocation Kft.

Stuart revealed he was delighted Inter Relocation were able to continue their involvement in the SME Scheme:

“Our sponsorship of individual projects, under the stewardship of the RBIF, plays a key role in Inter Relocation’s CSR program. It is incredible that we can make a clear and measurable difference to a hospital in need, by investing in key equipment. I was honoured to have the chance to meet with the staff of the hospital in Makó and to learn first-hand how our donation makes a difference to the staff of the paediatric department, and the children they treat there.”

2018 Projects: Zalaegerszeg

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Very early one cold December morning, when it was still dark, we hit the road to Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary, a place hitherto notable to me only for the unpronouncability of its name. 

I’ve since nailed the pronunciation (I had plenty of time in the car).  Anyway, I was undertaking a day of calls and public engagements on behalf of the Embassy in Zala.  And the most important event I took part in, as a member of the RBIF Curatorium, was the handover of a donation of a bronchoscope to the Zala County Szent Rafael hospital’s paediatric department with Dougie Arnott (Chairman) and Dennis Diokno of FirstMed.  This donation was enabled through our SME Sponsorship Scheme, with FirstMed teaming up with RBIF in this instance to double the value of the donation.

We were lucky enough to be given a tour of the Paediatrics Department by Dr László Gárdos, Head of Department.  There was a festive feel as, on 6 December, all the doctors and nurses were dressed in Santa hats for St Nicholas.  It was touching to meet some patients and their parents, and to witness the serenity and dedication of the staff.  Seeing the newborns was of course a particular joy.  We also saw the helipad of which the hospital was very proud – but sadly (or perhaps happily) no helicopters in sight.

Dr Gárdos received the bronchoscope on behalf of the hospital.  They have not, until now, had their own bronchoscope and he explained how it will help them diagnose a multitude of breathing problems much more easily and treat airway blockages when, for example, babies or children ingest small objects.

Dr Gabriella Halász, President of the Hospital, said it was a huge honour to receive the equipment.  In fact, I felt humbled by the whole occasion and thought, on the contrary, the honour was ours.

Caitlin Jones
Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy
Curatorium Member