BY DAYO ADESULU
Siemens South Africa has joined forces with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Eastern Cape Department of Health to provide a separate modular hospital solution to the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in East London in the fight against Covid-19.
Further Siemens project partners include Solidarity Fund, Siemens Healthineers, Siemens Caring Hands and Aspen Pharmacare.
The partner organizations seek to jointly address major health sector challenges faced by the community of uMdantsane as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many local health care facilities have taken strain, particularly in underdeveloped communities of South Africa. This modular solution with a 100-bed capacity will be erected as an extension of the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital for the purpose of easing the burden on the hospital and providing adequate, quality healthcare. It will provide the main hospital with direly needed additional capacity of 10 new ICU beds, 90 ward beds, diagnostics services and a pharmacy store. The separate facility to the main hospital will ensure access to equipment that is current, efficient and of superior quality. The hand-over of the hospital module is projected to take place in the first quarter of 2021.
“As a multinational organization, we are deeply committed to the well-being of the country. The collaboration of all stakeholders involved solidifies our Business to Society mindset that private companies must take up the call to contribute towards the prosperity and progress of the societies that they operate in.” said Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO of Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa.
A financial grant of up to €3.5 million has been contributed by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Globally, Siemens AG has established a worldwide relief fund to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic under the auspices of the community-serving nonprofit organization Siemens Caring Hands. All Siemens employees could make monetary donations to Siemens Caring Hands for this effort. Siemens AG then matched every amount donated, effectively doubling any donation made to Siemens Caring Hands. The organization is using these donations to deliver rapid aid to people affected by the pandemic worldwide. Siemens Caring Hands has donated €520,000 towards the modular hospital solution in the Eastern Cape.
“Siemens Caring Hands has taken on an enormous challenge. With the donations from Siemens and its employees, Siemens Caring Hands wants to assist in mitigating the terrible consequences of the Pandemic. In total, the people at Siemens have mobilized around 15 million Euros for this purpose. I am grateful that we, together with the German government and GIZ, can now make a substantial contribution to South Africa as well. This comprehensive solidarity is part of the Siemens DNA” said Stephan Frucht, Board member of Siemens Caring Hands e.V.
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Multinational speciality pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited (APN), is proud to partner with Siemens in the establishment of a modular hospital solution to the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in East London. “Aspen operates important pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in Port Elizabeth (which includes COVID vaccine formulation and filling capability) and East London, where Cecilia Makiwane is situated. We endeavour to continuously make sustainable contributions to the communities in which we operate. Through this partnership, we aim to assist in providing ongoing quality healthcare to members of the East London community during the unprecedented and challenging period of COVID-19,” said Stavros Nicolaou, Group Senior Executive: Strategic Trade Development.
