Tag Archive for: SME Sponsorship Scheme

Oxygen therapy in Hódmezővásárhely

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As in the past six years, the Robert Burns International Foundation made a significant donation to the Infant and Children’s Department of the Hódmezővásárhely-Mako Health Care Centre in 2024. Together with the 1.2 million HUF donated this year, the total amount of donations so far exceeds 7 million HUF. This year’s project was again achieved with the help of Inter Relocation.

According to Dr. Ferenc Papp, head physician at the department:

We believe we have used the funds carefully and in the most useful way possible, and that each year we have acquired diagnostic and/or therapeutic medical equipment that has contributed significantly to improving the quality and safety of neonatal, infant and paediatric care at our department. One important criterion in selecting the equipment was to use it to treat as many children as possible, so this year we purchased an oxygen therapy device.

The AIRVO2 device is designed to deliver high flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC). This non-invasive ventilation method delivers a high flow of heated and humidified oxygen-air mixture into the patient’s nose through a special nasal device to facilitate breathing and ensure adequate oxygenation. It has many advantages over conventional oxygen therapy and often avoids the need for intubation and invasive ventilation. The high flow rate improves the effectiveness of oxygen therapy, the warming and humidification help to clear the airways and reduce the risk of nasal mucosal damage. HFNC treatment can be used in children of any age, including newborns, with the right size nasal device. The treatment is gentler, more comfortable and better tolerated by children compared to other airway therapies.Thanks to the device donated by the RBIF the children’s department can add this valuable test to its diagnostic portfolio. So far, patients have had to travel miles away to Szeged for appointments. With the new device, the test can be performed in Hódmezővásárhely, almost immediately, helping to detect cystic fibrosis early and thus contributing to improving the quality of life of the patients concerned. A negative test result, on the other hand, can eliminate fears and anxiety in parents, which is no less important. The sweat analyser will be used in the brand-new children’s department at the hospital in Hódmezővásárhely, which was officially opened in April 2023.

The concentration of inhaled oxygen can be easily varied and read on the display, which also shows the set temperature and flow rate values. Operating the device is relatively simple and quick to learn, with a dedicated child mode. Its compact size makes it easy to carry or to place on a rolling stand for mobility. The nose device is made of soft silicone, with a material and design that ensures comfort of use and a stable fixation.

HFNC treatment is mainly used in children, especially infants, who develop mild to moderate respiratory distress due to bronchitis (acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis), chiefly caused by a viral infection. The most common causative agent is the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can affect many infants in epidemic form from autumn to spring, and many of whom may develop respiratory failure requiring hospitalisation. Formerly premature infants are particularly at risk of severe infection. During an epidemic, several RSV-infected infants may require HFNC treatment in the department each week, which is why it was particularly important to purchase an additional unit to the one already in place. This will allow two children to be treated at the same time.

With the equipment we have purchased, we can provide HFNC treatment for infants and newborns or even older children in the above-mentioned pathologies in our department, thus avoiding the need to transfer these patients to another institution. Our department has once again acquired a valuable and useful device that will be of therapeutic assistance to many patients, for which we are grateful to the Robert Burns International Foundation and its supporters.

“The marathon will humble you”

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50th BERLIN Marathon 2024

Berlin-Chicago-New York City-Tokyo-Boston-London. The holy grails for runners, and if you’re really serious about running, you want to run them. The Berlin Marathon is part of the world’s 6 most prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors. I ran the New York City Marathon in 2019, my first marathon in the year after my treatment for breast cancer. It was a cathartic experience, beyond being a bucket list item.

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This is my 10th year running, I now have 4 marathons, 7 Ultramarathons as a team and countless half marathons behind me, along with other prestigious Hungarian races. You can enter the Abbott Marathons either by running a qualifying time, which is not an option for me, taking part in a lottery, or by volunteering as a fundraiser, where you make a donation to the charity of your choice.

I entered the 50th anniversary Berlin Marathon as a running ambassador for the Suhanj! foundation, where I pledged to raise at least HUF 500,000 by the time of the race.

I had wanted to go for years, and since the spirit and aims of the Suhanj! foundation are close to my heart – they’ve been helping disabled children get moving for over 15 years – I applied knowing I was unlikely to succeed. At the same time, I knew that if accepted, I could certainly complete the distance and reach the target amount, because I raise funds for all my major races, and I have always asked for support to treat sick or underprivileged children, or to improve their quality of life. So far with success.

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That’s why I’ve been helping the RBIF for 8 years now as a volunteer administrator, because giving is the best thing to do.

In the months leading up to the race I was looking for sponsors, so of course I asked the Robert Burns Foundation if they could stand by me to support the Suhanj! Foundation’s sports centre in Budapest to provide professional coaching for disabled children. And the Board placed their faith in me!

From there, it was just a matter of running. I was so grateful, excited and proud to be there in Berlin, where I was one of 55,000 runners starting the 26 miles. I had the Suhanj! Foundation on my running gear, which gave me extra strength, I had a mission. Their slogan is “we give strength”, and this gave me super energy.

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The big marathons are running festivals. Almost every nation in the world is represented, and millions of supporters line the route, giving encouragement, refreshments, playing music and cheering. It’s a great celebration for us runners, where, apart from the elite athletes, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you (within the 8-hour time limit), because you gain experiences along the way that set you up for the future. The sporting value is high, the distance is said to be superhuman.

I completed the distance in 4 hours 40 minutes, but what I came away with was the experience of a lifetime.

With the support of my followers and the RBIF’s funding of 1.000.000 Ft, I was able to raise a total of HUF 1,742,000 to secure the services of a professional coach for the Suhanj! children for over 3 months!

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I am extremely grateful that the RBIF supported me, believed in what I stand for, trusted in my performance, and so we were able to contribute to the additional conditioning and developmental exercise of many children by qualified coaches!

Thank you RBIF, thank you Berlin, go Suhanj!

Bernadette Kellermayer RBIF Admin, volunteer fundraising running ambassador, breast cancer survivor

 

 

Modern ECG equipment for Mezőtúr

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The Children’s Department at the rural hospital in Mezőtúr, in eastern Hungary has been a beneficiary of assistance from the Robert Burns International Foundation for a few years now, and 2024 was no different.

The department is led by Dr. Ferenc Antal:

Once again, I would like to express my sincere thanks on behalf of the Children’s Department of the Mezőtúr Hospital and Clinic and the children of Mezőtúr and its surroundings for the fourth time that the Robert Burns Foundation has supported our department. We are also delighted that you placed your faith in the children’s department of this disadvantaged area once again, contributing to its safe operation.

This year, the RBIF was asked to finance the purchase of new ECG equipment. Small rural hospitals often do not have specialist consultants available, and so they have to seek temporary or permanent solutions locally.

Dr. Antal told us that their ECG equipment was technically outdated and due for replacement.

Thanks to your support, this has now been accomplished, and the new ECG appliance can help our work and patient care at all times, making it more reliable. What is equally worthy of note is that the new device also helps with diagnostics in the case of patients over the age of six, thanks to its built-in artificial intelligence.

On behalf of our staff, we would also like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for enhancing our work and the safety of patient care.

Delayed development assessments in Zalaegerszeg

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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.

The assistance that we were asked to give in 2024 was directed at three different areas of the paediatric department. The first priority was to acquire a set of equipment enabling the doctors and nurses to perform Bayley III assessments.

As explained by Consultant Physician Dr. László Gárdos,

the Bayley III test assesses the development of infants and young children from one month to 3.5 years of age. It provides detailed information on children’s cognitive, language and motor functions, social and emotional reactions. The test helps to identify delayed development and provides information for planning necessary interventions.

The second area the RBIF was able to help in 2024 was with the purchase of an ultrasound drug nebuliser. This device is used to treat respiratory diseases effectively. By inhaling the drug in a nebulised form, the drug is delivered to the lowest airways. This technology can significantly increase the effectiveness of the therapy.

Finally, we financed the purchase of a stool calprotectin analyser.

This device is a great help in the care and treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and indeed with diagnosing the disease. The extent of inflammation in the gut can be assessed by using the analyser – explained Dr. Gárdos.

The relationship we have with the Szent Rafael Hospital in Zalaegerszeg is in fact a three-way partnership, as from the very outset we have teamed up with Dennis Diokno and his team at FirstMed in providing this much-needed assistance. Our thanks to them for continuing to support us in the SME Sponsorship Scheme so we can facilitate these improvements at the hospital in Zalaegerszeg every year.

 

Join our 2024 SME Sponsorship Scheme!

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Now that we have successfully completed the Burns Supper we are looking ahead to our SME Sponsorship Scheme for 2024, and are actively seeking small and medium-sized businesses to take part. 
In 2023 we helped hospitals all around the country as part of this scheme, adding more than EUR 5,000 to the funds raised at the Burns Supper. Can we beat that this year? 

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 21st February 2024!

How does the scheme work?

  1. If you would like to make a targeted donation to a children’s hospital in Hungary, then get in touch, and let us know how much you would like to donate.
  2. The RBIF matches your donation.
  3. Together we identify a region of the country you would like to help, then with the help of our medical adviser we make contact with a hospital to assess their needs and how we can best assist them.
  4. We fund the purchase of the proposed equipment, and in a few months’ time we can visit the hospital to see what a difference the joint donation between the RBIF and your own company has made.

It really is no more complicated than that. Together we make the most out of your generous donation, and you can rest assured that 100% – in fact 200%! – of your donation will be used as effectively as possible.

For more information about the SME Sponsorship Scheme projects in 2023 just visit the Blog on our website.

IMPORTANT: We only have 5 slots in the SME Sponsorship Scheme this year, and one has already been snapped up, so please do get in touch soon if you think we can help.

Vital help for cystic fibrosis diagnosis in Hódmezővásárhely

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For six years now, the Robert Burns International Foundation has supported the Infant and Children’s Department of the Hódmezővásárhely-Makó Health Care Centre with generous donations, totalling almost HUF 6 million. The equipment purchased so far has mainly been used for therapeutic purposes.

With this year’s donation, funded jointly with Inter Relocation again, we purchased a sweat analyser, which expanded the diagnostic capabilities of the children’s department. The device determines the concentration of sodium chloride ions in sweat and is used in the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, one of the most common congenital genetic diseases in the European population. The disease develops when a child inherits an abnormal gene from both parents, and is caused by a genetic defect in the protein responsible for transporting chloride ions in the saliva-producing glands, which leads to the formation of thick, sticky saliva that mainly affects the lungs and pancreas, but also other organs. With early detection and appropriate treatment of the disease and new therapeutic options, patients’ quality of life can be significantly improved, and their life expectancy extended by decades.

According to Dr. Ferenc Papp, head physician at the department:

The new device enables our department to measure the sodium chloride content of sweat too, which is particularly important as our paediatric pulmonary and gastroenterology departments have a large number of patients with suspected cystic fibrosis based on clinical symptoms. Based on our preliminary estimates, we expect to examine approximately 50-100 patients per year. The test is relatively easy to perform, not painful or particularly stressful, and the results are available immediately. The device is unique in its ability to measure very small amounts of sweat (0.5 microlitres), which is particularly useful for testing infants who don’t sweat as much.

Thanks to the device donated by the RBIF the children’s department can add this valuable test to its diagnostic portfolio. So far, patients have had to travel miles away to Szeged for appointments. With the new device, the test can be performed in Hódmezővásárhely, almost immediately, helping to detect cystic fibrosis early and thus contributing to improving the quality of life of the patients concerned. A negative test result, on the other hand, can eliminate fears and anxiety in parents, which is no less important. The sweat analyser will be used in the brand-new children’s department at the hospital in Hódmezővásárhely, which was officially opened in April 2023.

We thank the Robert Burns International Foundation for the continued support.

Outdoor therapy area in Zalaegerszeg

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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 2023, after consulting with the hospital administration we were asked to help fund a completely new project, an outdoor therapy playground located on the hospital grounds. According to the team of specialists who run the outdoor therapy area:

We can complement the therapy of children coming to us for rehabilitation from all over the country by using outdoor games to enhance their motivation for hard training and to offer them a pleasant experience. The majority of our young patients come to us with neurological issues, and most of them have impaired motor, cognitive, speech, self-motivation functions.

Playing outdoors provides these children with a huge dose of intrinsic motivation. The slide, the dolphin, the bee and the lily are very popular toys. In addition to us being able to offer them therapy in the open air, this equipment can serve important therapeutic purposes for children for whom sitting, standing and walking do not come very easily.

We chose this equipment for children with neurological disorders because they improve balance, coordination and head-torso control, relieve adduction contracture in children with spastic muscles, as well as developing pelvic stability and upper limb movement.

The hospital staff are delighted to be able to achieve these objectives thanks to the support provided by the RBIF to complete the playground, and our thanks in turn goes to everyone who attended the 2023 Burns Supper to help us do so. And our special thanks to Dennis Diokno and his team at FirstMed for continuing to support us in the SME Sponsorship Scheme so we can facilitate big changes at the hospital in Zalaegerszeg every year.

 

Students organise charity drive for Dept. of Paediatrics

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With our SME Sponsorship Scheme we normally team up with like-minded companies and on occasion individuals to support worthy projects helping children’s healthcare around Hungary. In 2023 though, for the first time we partnered up with a school to help one of the main hospitals in Budapest.

Students in the 11th grade at the BME International Secondary Grammar School wanted to hold a Valentine’s Day Ball, but to make it even more special, they decided to use this opportunity to raise some money for charity at the same time, as part of their commitment to help out in the community.

A lot of work went into preparing the ball, which had never been organised before at the school, and significant effort went into collecting a range of interesting and valuable prizes for the raffle, including cinema vouchers, gift cards, a tour of the TV2 studio in Budapest, and a weekend stay in Balatonfüred for 3 people. The money from the raffle totalled HUF 270,000, an incredible sum for the students to have raised, and this was duly doubled by the Robert Burns International Foundation to HUF 540,000.

Director of the Paediatric Clinic of Semmelweis University, Professor Dr. Attila Szabó, and Dr. Tamás Constantin, representing the Guardians of the Tűzoltó Street Foundation for Patients with Cancer and Leukaemia, were happy to receive the pledged funds, which were used to buy mattress protectors for the various wards in the children’s department.

A spokesperson for the clinic said:

“It makes you wonder what motivates teenagers to do such a noble deed. Family motivation certainly has a lot to do with it, and the school community, where the desire to help others is natural and accepted, can also be a decisive factor. It was a joy and a pleasure to see these young people. We are honoured that they chose us! Thank you!”

 

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

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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

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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.