Health gets a helping hand

When Graham Perolls first came to Romania, in 1991, he was shocked by what he saw in the hospitals. As the founder of a hospice in Great Britain, he decided to come to the aid of the Romanian medical community and invited several nurses for a training in the UK.

Later, he got the idea of establishing a centre modelled after the British system. The first such centre - Hospice Casa Sperantei opened in Brasov in 1992 and Graham Perolls is the managing director.Five years later, the foundation expanded by a training centre, also located in Brasov and, in 2004, Casa Sperantei started in Bucharest, as well.

"We get the terminally ill, deemed irrecuperable by the doctors," says James Niblett, deputy director of deputy director la Hospice Casa Sperantei. "'We are sorry, but there is nothing we can do for you anymore' - this is what they hear everywhere. At our centre, we have a different approach, trying to give them hope - 'We are doing our best to help you.'"

The sick pay no taxes to be cared for by the centre's staff. One of the most requested services is home care. However, this type of activity requires more volunteers, to help the sick with household chores or to keep them company.

"Several years ago, when we started looking for volunteers, peoples often told us that it was a waste of time, because Romanians don't volunteer. Still, we decided to give it a try, because volunteering is important for any hospice in the world," he recalls.

Now, Casa Sperantei is working with more than 150 regular volunteers. Some of them can only come two hours a month, but their efforts are most welcome. Before starting, volunteers go through a training programme, to understand how they can help and how they can lift the old people's spirits.

"That is why we felt the need to build a study centre in Brasov, in 1997. Ever since, we have trained almost 10,000 medical staff from across the country. Training in the Bucharest-based centre is organised for 12 weeks, and the teams comprise 15-20 people. Emphasis is placed on the practical issues and on the expertise of foreign doctors."
Even so, it is still not enough, Niblett adds.

"We start from the fact that every ill person must have access to palliative care (a modern and effective alternative to the classical methods used to improve the patient's quality of life, i.e.), but we still have a long way to go to reach this target. In Romania, about 50,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. Unfortunately, we can only cover 3% of this figure."

According to Niblett, it is encouraging that Romanians are becoming aware of these needs and they offer their help. Fundraisers are becoming more frequent."In the first years, our activity was entirely funded by sources from Great Britain. However, as time went by, things began to change here as well," he recounts.

The Brasov-based business community understood the benefits of the Casa Sperantei hospice and made significant donations. Several Bucharest companies followed their lead.

"GlaxoSmithKline is one of them", Niblett says. "They gave us a three-year grant for special-needs children, whom we care for at our centre. We were also supported by Vodafone, Aviva, Volvo and ABN Amro".
Moreover, he says, the hospice received numerous donations from people that simply wanted to help.

In 2008, the management of Hospice Casa Sperantei intends to organise fundraisers and various events (concerts, balls, fashion shows, exhibitions showcasing greeting cards and gifts made b y the patients). They hope these events will raise 45% of the 1.5 million-euro budget needed for this year. Financial support from Great Britain will account for 24% of the sum.

"The 2% campaign (allowing Romanian taxpayers to direct 2% of their annual income tax to a non-profit entity - NGO, association or foundation, i.e.) is also very important to us," Niblett adds.

A novelty for this year is the launch of a TV campaign, aiming to popularise the services provided by the hospice.
Hospice Casa Sperantei has cared for more than 6,600 patients so far. This year, their number will exceed 1,400. The study centre also has ambitious plans, as around 1,500 doctors and nurses will participate in training programmes. Hospice Casa Sperantei has almost 130 employees.

An SMS for health
Since 2007, the Vodafone Romania Foundation has focused on a field in dire need of support - health. The Foundation has supported a range of programmes aimed to improve healthcare for children and to obtain medical equipment for the paediatric care sections in poor areas and isolated communities.

The health programme, launched last February, aimed to donate medical equipment - cardiotocographs (which record the foetal heart rate and uterine contractions), vital functions monitors, ecographs and high-performing incubators, for a total value of 600,000 euros.

"Vodafone Romania Foundation has identified at its partner-units (Suceava County Emergency Hospital Sf. Ioan cel Nou, Galati Children's Clinic Emergency Hospital Sf. Ioan, Targoviste County Hospital, Caransebes City Hospital, Slatina County Hospital, Onesti Municipal Hospital, Comanesti City Hospital Ioan Lascăr) a great need for state-of-the-art medical monitoring equipment," says Marian Velicu, senior director, regulatory, legal and corporate affairs with Vodafone Romania.

Moreover, the Foundation has supported several humanitarian campaigns - fundraisers organised by various NGOs - the operator allocated a toll-free number for SMS donations.

"We noticed that Romanians have responded better to this type of initiative, making donations for campaigns raising funds for old people and for sick children," Velicu explains.In 2006 and 2007, the cumulated value of sponsorships from Vodafone Romania and of the donations made by the Vodafone Romania Foundation exceeded four million euros for community projects.

This year, Vodafone plans to invest both in social programmes (to prevent family abandon, to facilitate access to education for the children from poor families, to care for the old, as well as to fund health programmes) and in environment protection. "To some, CSR means supporting charities, to others CSR means business ethics or environment protection. In the end, CSR means corporate contribution to the modern society development, their impact on society, environment and economy," Marian Velicu concludes.

QUOTES
"In Romania, about 50,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. Unfortunately, we can only cover 3% of this figure."
 
James Niblett, deputy director Hospice Casa Sperantei
"To some, CSR means supporting charities, to others CSR means business ethics or environment protection. In the end, CSR means corporate contribution to the modern society development, their impact on society, environment and economy,"

Marian Velicu, senior director, regulatory, legal and corporate affairs, Vodafone Romania