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.
Multinational
specialty 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 endeavor to continuously make
sustainable contributions towards 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.