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CSI report
As a responsible corporate citizen, Netcare is committed to the development of South Africa and therefore invests substantial resources in community- and nation-building initiatives. The major projects supported by Netcare are
carefully selected and actively implemented
to ensure that the resources committed to
the initiative have maximum impact. Special Each Netcare hospital, facility and operating division has its own sense of responsibility and seeks to engage in activities that address the specific needs of the communities that it serves. The major areas where support is provided include:
During the year Netcare contributed more than R61 million to our corporate social initiatives. Several of the Group’s major CSI initiatives are summarised below. Pre-Hospital Emergency Services The Emergency Units at all Netcare hospitals continue to provide emergency medical care for all patients despite their financial status. As it is becoming increasingly difficult to transfer such patients from the private to the public sector once treated in an emergency situation, Netcare’s policy is to ensure that their medical needs are fulfilled as far as possible within the Group’s hospitals. Netcare Trauma Division once again worked with the Gauteng Department of Health (“GDoH”) by sponsoring nursing staff, doctors, equipment, stock and refreshments for the Hillbrow New Years Medical Disaster Station. Academic grants, bursaries, skills training
and industry initiatives Netcare Training Academy has launched a joint initiative with the marketing and hospital divisions to promote and market nursing as an interesting, challenging and exciting profession, thus repositioning the nursing profession in the general public’s minds. The initiative is supported by a proactive bursary programme, now in its sixth year, whereby Netcare Education funds bursaries at South African tertiary training institutions. From 113 bursaries at six institutions valued at R1,9 million three years ago, Netcare in 2006 provided bursaries to 209 learners at eight tertiary education institutions, with a total value of R6,3 million.
Corporate community health and welfare
sponsorships
An additional R25 000 was donated to the ODF from the Netcare Chairman’s Fund in 2006. Netcare Sexual Assault Care Centres have been established within the Accident & Emergency and Trauma units at 22 Netcare hospitals across the country. Dedicated to providing professional healthcare and compassionate treatment to victims of rape or sexual abuse, these centres have collectively treated more than 3 000 patients since their inception in 2000. Some 94% of patients treated are female and 79% are indigent. The annual cost to operate these centres is more than R500 000 per year, of which the pro deo treatment accounts for at least 50%. National and international disaster
management The most recent such mission was in response to the earthquake that occurred in Pakistan’s Kashmir territory on 8 October 2005. The seismic event, which measured 7,6 on the moment magnitude scale, resulted in an official death toll of 87 350, although unofficial estimates put the total number of lives lost at closer to 100 000. An estimated 3,3 million people were left homeless, with more than four million people having been affected directly. Rescue South Africa sent a 20-person team to render assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake. Approximately 1 000 patients were treated, including the performance of 70 surgical procedures such as wound cleaning, debridement and field amputations. Netcare 911 has also remained integrally involved in the re-building of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, following the tsunami that decimated South East Asia on 26 December 2004, claiming the lives of more than 300 000 people and affecting millions more. As a member of the team representing the SA Tsunami Relief Fund, along with Pick ’n Pay and Jumalit Ulama, Netcare 911 has helped ensure that the generous donations made by the South African public and corporate organisations such as Barloworld and Nedbank (amounting to R6,2 million in relief aid) has been expended wisely. After initially distributing foodstuffs, clothing and other essential items collected at Pick ’n Pay outlets and Netcare hospitals, the SA Tsunami Relief Fund donated R2,2 million to the International Red Cross then invested the balance in the construction of the South Africa Village. The latter, which was opened officially on 16 September 2006, was developed in consultation with local NGOs and government bodies and has provided refuge for 100 families. Event management and sport
sponsorships Netcare UK has recently announced its sponsorship of the 17th Great North West Half Marathon, taking place on 25 February 2007. Over 1 500 entrants are expected to participate, raising money for the Rosemere Cancer Foundation. Regional-level community involvement,
sponsorships and donations Several hospitals have adopted special schools, especially those catering for the mentally and/or physically challenged, and have both provided funding and fulfilled certain of their needs – including television sets, video cassette recorders, games, books, irons, clothing and shoes, nappies, linen, crockery and furniture. These donations have been made possible by collecting items from staff, the public, suppliers and the hospitals themselves. Nursing and administrative staff members have volunteered their services at special events, for medical standby purposes, as well as in projects where physical resources are required (such as painting and fixing). School tours have been accommodated at certain hospitals, while first aid kits have been compiled for donation to a number of schools in the areas surrounding our hospitals. The Medicross Family Medical and Dental Centres across South Africa, together with their associated Pharmacross outlets, consciously strive to assist the communities they serve through various initiatives. These include:
Open days are also held at Medicross clinics throughout the country, coincident with the health calendar. These include diabetes screening, heart health awareness, breast cancer awareness, eye health, asthma testing, cholesterol and hypertension screening. Blood donation clinics and appeals to patients to donate blood bolster the efforts of the South African Blood Transfusion Service. Netcare Pharmacy Division has encouraged each of the Netcare and Pharmacross pharmacies within its infrastructure to engage in social investment activities within its region or town, as a means to give back to the communities they serve. More than 30 projects have already been launched, several with the sponsorship assistance of suppliers. These range from sponsoring influenza vaccines for people in need through to providing pharmaceutical care, primary health screening and professional services to charitable organisations and community medical practices (such as multivitamins, medication and surgery stocks). Many Pharmacross outlets also serve as
collection points for non-perishable foods,
clothing, shoes, toiletries, blankets and
other bedding, stationery, toys, books and
magazines – all of which are distributed to
deserving organisations in their respective
communities, with a special focus on
abandoned babies, AIDS orphanages,
children’s homes, shelters for women and
children, homes for the elderly and shelters for
the homeless. Fundraising activities are held to
raise the funds for specific community projects, Several special projects have also been tackled, such as the provision of in-service training to learners with physical and/or mental disabilities so as to equip them for suitable employment opportunities. Two hospital pharmacies have donated fully stocked libraries within their respective communities: one to Clareville Primary (St Augustine’s Hospital) and the other to Boksburg Prison (Sunward Park Hospital). The individual Netcare Training Academy campuses are also actively involved in social responsibility projects, with students enrolled in each of the formal courses required to adopt a community outreach project. For example, the students at Eastern Cape Campus painted the Liebenhaus Orphanage in Gelvandale, which is home to 30 boys who have been removed from their parents for diverse reasons. Other students collected and distributed toiletries to patients in Livingstone Hospital; collected funds for CANSA; collected and donated food and money to a small organisation that supports street children; and raised the money for a two-yearold with a rare genetic illness to receive the treatment he requires. Netcare UK is a Gold Member of the Employers’ Forum on Disability – an organisation that was established by UK business and launched by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1991. The forum currently has 400 members who collectively employ 20% of UK workforce and jointly fund a unique central expert resource, which makes it easier to employ disabled people and welcome disabled customers. Ranked as the world’s leading employers’ organisation that focuses on disability as a business and a societal priority, the forum’s Disability Standard is the world’s only comprehensive audit tool on disability. Netcare UK is working with the forum to review its services so as to ensure they are fully accessible to the disabled, causing minimum inconvenience. All Netcare UK’s facilities are compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act. In addition, translation services, such as Language Line and locally approved translators and signers, are employed by Netcare UK to ensure that patients for whom English is not the primary language are made welcome. BMI’s corporate social responsibilities are focused in a number of core areas, notably:
In addition, the various hospitals provide ongoing and ad hoc support to schools, children’s hospices, and associations for the disabled (particularly the blind). Likewise, regular and ad hoc donations are made of equipment and financial resourcesto deserving causes. For instance, The Kings Oak Hospital donated beds and mattresses to two needy hospitals in Ghana during the year under review; while Three Shires Hospital presented a cheque to Northants Air Ambulance and The Runnymede Hospital made a substantial donation to the Ashford & St Peter’s Hospital’s NHS Trust.
School children in the communities surrounding the hospitals are engaged in healthcare awareness-raising activities wherever possible – such as the hygiene and cleanliness awareness campaign held this year by The Clementine Churchill Hospital. Ongoing support is provided to the BMI medical project in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, where the local communities were affected by the Tsunami of 26 December 2004. Known as the Friends From Europe (“FFE”), the project provides healthcare services and first aid training to local people, and has also helped to rebuild healthcare facilities in the area.
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