Tag Archive for: Robert Burns International Foundation

New equipment and re-decorated children’s department in Mezőtúr

, , ,

In 2023 as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme we were delighted to team up with a new partner, HFI Kft., and we decided to continue our support of the Children’s Department at the rural hospital in Mezőtúr, in eastern Hungary.

Dr. Ferenc Antal expressed his sincere thanks on behalf of the hospital and clinic, and the children of Mezőtúr, for our repeated support.

We feel very fortunate that the Robert Burns Foundation has supported our department for the third time. We are also delighted that they have once again shown imagination in helping us keep the children’s ward running in this disadvantaged area and have thus contributed to the comfortable and safe operation of the children’s ward.

This year, the medical equipment bought included ambu balloons and inhalers, which are practically used on a daily basis for inhalation therapy of respiratory tract infections, neonatal blood pressure cuffs, essential for performing blood pressure measurements on all four limbs, and an infant pulse oximeter for respiratory disorders.

But the funding from the RBIF and HFI Kft. went even further, because we funded the re-decoration of the entire department.

Dr. Antal explains why:

It’s been about 8 years since we had our department painted, and after all this time, wards for children are worth a little renovation and painting. Not to mention infection control and the prevention of hospital-acquired infections. We were not a Covid care site, but were affected by the outbreak. Most of our patients suffer from viral infections and respiratory illnesses. Our hospital was able to do some repairs on its own, but other investments prevented this work from being carried out.

Let us pass on the thanks from Dr. Antal on behalf of all the children who are treated there, and on behalf of all the staff who struggle daily to ensure that they do not suffer from a lack of care.

Jávorszky Ödön Hospital , Vác, 2023

, , ,

The first of our SME Sponsorship Scheme projects to be completed this year took us to the Jávorszky Ödön Hospital in the city of Vác.

In conjunction with Norhot Kft., a business we have partnered with for several years now, in 2023 the Robert Burns Foundation donated 2 smart infusion pumps and a World Game® to the paediatrics department of the hospital and specialist clinic in Vác.

Accompanied by Szilvia Hanson from Norhot Kft. as well as Katy Reid (Deputy Head of the North & Central Europe Department at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), three members of the Burns Supper Organising Committee visited the hospital on 14 June to see what had been purchased from the donation.

 

The two smart infusion pumps enable the administration of more precise medication, and in the case of severe metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes, ion disorders), it is very important to have precise and programmable therapy. This is why we are very pleased with these two devices –

said Ila Veronika, chief physician and head of the paediatric department.

The World Game® was developed and standardised in Hungary by Dr. Alaine Polcz (1922-2007), a Hungarian psychologist, author, pioneer in the field of tanatology (research on death and mourning) in Hungary and founder of the Hungarian Hospice Movement. Experience shows that this is the best and most comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic method through play. It creates an experience of play and creative pleasure in the person tested, regardless of their age. The construction process itself, the problems and tensions represented during creation and play all have a therapeutic effect.

The child has to build their own world from miniature figures and components of the world (toy houses, people, animals, trees, plants, etc.). From this result and other aspects monitored during the construction, the health-care professional can get clues as to what internal/external factors are influencing the child’s current state. Using these tools, games can subsequently be developed and integrated into the ongoing therapeutic process.

This simple, important but very useful tool is almost unavailable in public care due to its high cost, which is why we are particularly grateful to now have access to it with the help of the Robert Burns International Foundation –

added Dr. Ila.

 

Csongrád-Csanád County Health Centre, Hódmezővásárhely-Makó, 2022

, , ,

Inter Relocation Kft. has been a long-standing supporter of the RBIF and its projects over the years, and was one of the first companies to take part in our SME Sponsorship Scheme, helping small and medium-sized companies take part in our fundraising and donation activities.

2022 has been no different, and we teamed up again with Stuart McAlister and his team to support the Paediatric Department at the Csongrád-Csanád County Health Centre in Hódmezővásárhely, a focal point of our fundraising efforts in recent years.

Head of Department, Dr Ferenc Papp, intimated that their work could best be helped with the purchase of a Neopuff infant resuscitator, which is an easy-to-use, manual, medical gas-powered device that allows for the resuscitation of newborns under controlled positive pressure conditions. This helps to improve ventilation efficiency while preventing lung damage caused by high airway pressures, particularly an issue in premature babies. The ventilation is usually through a face mask, available in different sizes and can be used once or several times

Dr Papp: we already purchased two of these devices for the neonatal unit of our hospital, one of them in 2019, thanks to a grant from the RBIF. The new device has been installed in the neonatal unit of our department. The unit is located in a separate building, relatively far from the delivery room, and with this upgrade we have enough equipment to provide state-of-the-art neonatal resuscitation in all wards where newborns are treated and cared for (delivery room, neonatal unit, infant unit).

Since 2018, the RBIF has provided significant financial support to the children’s department every year – including the paediatric emergency department in Makó – which, including this year’s support, now totals HUF 5 million. The equipment purchased with this grant will significantly improve the quality and safety of emergency and neonatal care in our department.

 

Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg, 2022

, , , ,

For many years now as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme, and in collaboration with FirstMed Centers, the Robert Burns International Foundation has supported the Infant and Paediatric Department at the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg.

This hospital not only functions as a health-care institution for the 60,000 people who live in this town situated in the south-west of Hungary in Zala county. It is also the main hospital for the surrounding area, and accepts patients from throughout western Hungary, and even from across Hungary’s borders.

In 2022, after consultation with the team of doctors at the hospital, the decision was made to purchase a Nihon Kohden multi-functional Life Scope bedside monitor. This monitor is able to track and display many crucial parameters of a patient’s health, including the carbon-dioxide content of exhaled air.

What makes this monitor particularly special is that it carries a smaller integrated portable monitor that can be removed when the baby or child needs transporting to other areas of the hospital for treatment. This makes such movements much safer and allows the medical staff to keep them under full observation even when they are outside the ward.

 

Peter Cerny Foundation, 2022

, , , ,

Linking up once again with Norhot Kft. in 2022 as part of the SME Sponsorship Scheme, the Robert Burns International Foundation reached out to the Peter Cerny Foundation, well-known in Budapest for operating a fleet of well-equipped ambulances serving the needs of premature babies. Based in Budapest, this year the owners of Norhot Kft. wanted to support a project in the capital city, after previously helping to fund medical equipment in Székesfehérvár.

Following discussions with the foundation’s coordinator Barnabás Lendvai, the RBIF funded various pieces of equipment to keep the ambulances well stocked. The neonatal nitric oxide dosing and sampling kit will enable the ventilation of newborn babies with very severe respiratory failure. These single-use devices can be used to deliver nitric oxide molecules into a mixture of medical oxygen and compressed air, opening up diseased lung vessels and enabling effective ventilatory support for babies for whom conventional ventilation is ineffective.

The boxes of adhesive plasters and cannula clamps enable the attachment of a wide range of medical equipment (tube, probes, catheters, cannulas), while lancets for blood testing enable nurses to collect blood efficiently for the portable blood gas analyser and blood glucose meter.

The RBIF funded pads to be placed under each premature or sick newborn baby in the incubator, ensuring a clean, safe and comfortable environment. The bionector can be used to administer 3 types of medicine at the same time, while the umbilical catheters are used for umbilical cannulation, allowing for the safe delivery of medicine directly into the main blood stream.

With the Nellcor sensors and cables, the babies’ vital signs can be continuously monitored on the patient monitor, and finally, with the etCO2 cables it is possible to measure exhaled CO2 during ventilation, which provides very important information for doctors.

All of these items are crucially important to make sure that the ambulances are constantly on the road with the right equipment to make sure the doctors and nurses can take action at the right time, and we are delighted to have made a significant contribution in collaboration with Norhot Kft.

Infant and Children’s Department at Mezőtúr Hospital, 2022

, , ,

In 2022 as part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme we were delighted to team up with a long-standing partner of ours, WhiskyNet, who have supported the RBIF in its work for many years.

Using money generously raised by WhiskyNet customers with their online purchases, Zsolt Sziget and Kati Szatmári asked if we could help a hospital in the eastern part of the country. Following consultations with the RBIF’s medical adviser Professor György Fekete, we identified the hospital in Mezőtúr as a worthy beneficiary.

Dr. Ferenc Antal runs the paediatric department at this small, well-equipped rural hospital. The wards are comfortable, each with a separate bathroom, toilet and TV, and following discussions with him it transpired that the RBIF could best help if we managed to buy an air-conditioning system.

 

“Having adequate air conditioning is more comfortable for a sick, feverish child than a warm, airless, humid environment. The RBIF has helped us ensure this by purchasing a modern, high-efficiency cooling and heating air-conditioning unit, which we were able to install in our central corridor so that the air temperature and movement can affect the air in all the wards. It would be ideal to have air conditioning in all wards, but now we have this to our great satisfaction!”, said Antal Ferenc.

The remainder of the donation was used to buy blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters, which are essential for the daily care of newborns, as every newborn is required to have four endometrial blood pressure measurements and pulse oximetry monitoring a certain time after their birth.

 

“It was a pleasure for us to have the RBIF visit our department and to personally thank Mr Douglas Arnott, Chairman of the Robert Burns International Foundation, for his repeated support. We were also able to talk about the support we received ten years ago and were able to have a look at the Pulzox monitor still in daily use in our outpatient clinic, demonstrating that even in such a small rural hospital, there are adequate conditions for the care of young patients.”

The RBIF’s pipe band

, , , ,

Anyone who has been to a Burns Supper will not forget the rousing sound of bagpipes and drums in full flow. It really lends a great deal of authenticity to the event, and makes it a memorable night for Scots and non-Scots alike. But how much do you actually know about the pipers and drummers who perform for us every year? Did you know there are World Champions in the ballroom every year? Did you know that this is often the only time they now play together?

We asked Stevie Brown about who the band are, where they come from, and most importantly, why do they come back year after year…

 

Most of us played together at Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band and have known each other for around 35 years. We live all over Scotland, and mostly having retired from competing now, we get together especially to come to Budapest.

It is an honour and a privilege to be invited to join you once again this year and we are delighted to congratulate the RBIF on the occasion of the 25th Burns Supper to raise funds for the Foundation and the worthy causes it supports.

We have been very fortunate, in the past, to have competed at the highest level, winning numerous titles, including multiple World Championships. We have been afforded the opportunity to travel the world, we’ve appeared on TV shows, met celebrities and made recordings, even earning a gold disc for a collaboration with traditional musicians from across Europe.

 

However, to be associated with the RBIF for around 20 years has provided us with the most gratifying and humbling experiences, not only entertaining guests at the Burns Supper, but actively engaging with the children who benefit from the charity work of the Foundation.

 

We have played for youngsters in hospital cancer wards, orphanages, schools and community centres and cannot overstate the effects these visits have had on us. We hope that we have left the children with even a fraction of the memories with which they have provided us.

 

Budapest has become a very special place for us and the friendships formed here will last for many years to come. We wish the RBIF continued success in all its ventures in the future and are eternally grateful to be acknowledged by the Foundation as the charity’s official pipers and drummers.

25th Annual Budapest Burns Supper

, , ,

A huge thank you to all the helpers and sponsors that assisted with the 25th Annual Budapest Burns Supper at the Corinthia Budapest. Many people, companies and organisations support us in different ways, both financially and with products or services. Without their generous assistance the Burns Supper would not be the event it is.

The money raised from the gala will be put towards our charity projects in 2022, along with the kind donations that we have received as well.

Follow us and stay updated

Make sure you like the RBIF Facebook page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter to be sure of hearing all the details about next year’s event in good time, and to find out what projects the RBIF will be supporting throughout 2022.

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 25 years the organisation has raised several hundred thousand euros to help sick and underprivileged children.

Contact: [email protected]

Csongrád-Csanád County Health Care Centre, 2021

, , ,

In 2021 the Robert Burns International Foundation continued its support of the Hódmezővásárhely-Makó Paediatric Department of the Csongrád-Csanád County Health Care Centre. This donation was part of our SME Sponsorship Scheme, and was enabled by the continued involvement of Inter Relocation Kft.

The RBIF funded the purchase of a Natus neoBLUE compact phototherapy device and two EDAN iM3 patient monitors.

The neoBLUE compact is a phototherapy device for the treatment of neonatal jaundice. The LED light sources in the device emit blue light at the right wavelength, which causes the bile pigment bilirubin – that accumulates in the blood and causes jaundice – to break down and reduce blood levels. This procedure effectively treats neonatal jaundice and in a significant proportion of cases prevents extreme bilirubin accumulation, which can lead to brain damage if left untreated. Its compact size makes it easy to move and position.

According to consultant physician and head of department Dr Ferenc Papp:

We already had one of these devices in our neonatal unit, but felt we needed another as we often have several babies requiring light treatment at the same time. In such cases, we could only do so with a 30–40-year-old device that is less efficient with fluorescent tubes. We can now provide modern light treatment for two newborns at the same time in our department. The need for a second device is also explained by the significant increase in the number of newborns in the hospital in Hódmezővásárhely (in 2020, the number of births per year increased by 50% compared to previous years).

The two EDAN iM3 patient monitors purchased with the donation will be used primarily to monitor the basic vital signs of sick newborns and infants. The device records and displays blood oxygen saturation, pulse and blood pressure on a touch screen display. The parameters are clearly visible, even from a distance, which increases the safety of patient monitoring. The device was selected for its ease of use, compact size and the fact that the signal processing is less sensitive to movement, making it particularly suitable for use with newborns and infants. The two new monitors complement the older monitors in our department but are better in terms of functionality.

A big thank you to Inter Relocation for the continued support in the SME Sponsorship Scheme.

 

2nd Dept of Paediatrics, SOTE, Budapest, 2021

, , ,

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. The Foundation is lucky to continue to be advised by a man of such professional international standing and integrity.

In 2021 the 2nd Department of Paediatrics requested the help of the RBIF to buy a Biometra TAdvanced gradient PCR machine. This device is what is known as a thermal cycler, a piece of laboratory equipment most commonly used to amplify segments of DNA via polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Thermal cyclers may also be used in laboratories to facilitate other temperature-sensitive reactions, including restriction enzyme digestion or rapid diagnostics. The device has a thermal block with holes where tubes holding the reaction mixtures can be inserted. The cycler then raises and lowers the temperature of the block in discrete, pre-programmed steps.

According to Professor Fekete:

We currently have set up the device to detect copy number variation (CNV) characteristic for Di-George Syndrome.

The symptoms here can vary, often including congenital heart problems, specific facial features, frequent infections, developmental delay, learning problems and cleft palate.

We have successfully applied the CNV detection assay for Di-George Syndrome for more than 25 patient samples, and we currently plan to do 20 samples/month for this assay. Furthermore, by February 2022 we plan to set methylation-sensitive assays for imprinting-related genetic disorders.