The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) founded by Hungarians and members of the Scottish community in Hungary has for years been supporting institutions engaged in the provision of medical services for children in Hungary with large amounts of donations collected by them. Among the beneficiaries is the SOTE II. Department of Paediatrics, Budapest.

The intensive-care unit of the Clinic provides sophisticated care for children having had major – not only tumour-related – surgery or who are in such critical conditions that require intensive care, for example, artificial respiration. A lot of children in severe conditions, for whom proper treatment cannot be ensured anywhere else, are brought here from other hospitals.

The department will be fully refurbished and two special rooms equipped with an air exhaust system and negative pressure doors will also be built to accommodate and treat children suffering from leukaemia and tumour-related illnesses, who must be isolated from the outside world so that they are protected from the risk of infection. The department has no such room at the moment.

“In 2012 the number of patients with malignant haemopoietic disorders and tumours, who often require intensive care in the course of their treatment, significantly rose in our Clinic, compared to the previous year. The equipment in the new intensive-care unit will be completely modernized, thus complying with the relevant regulations of the European Union and the National Public Health and Medical Officer Service” – said Prof. Dr. György Fekete, Head of the SOTE II. Department of Paediatrics and consultant of the Burns Foundation.

The Clinic is able to allocate HUF 11 million of own resources to cover the costs of the refurbishing, amounting to HUF 40 million. The Robert Burns International Foundation has undertaken to collect the remaining HUF 29 million. The organization started accepting donations on 26th January at its charity event organized in the banqueting hall of Hotel Corinthia in Budapest, i.e. the Burns Evening which is held in January every year on the birthday of Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet.

“Our Foundation collects donations each year to support charity programmes helping sick and disadvantaged children in Hungary. Raising the money necessary for the refurbishing of the intensive-care unit of the SOTE II. Department of Paediatrics has been our biggest challenge so far. We sincerely hope that many generous individuals and enterprises will join our initiative, and as a result, the conditions for treating severely ill children will improve at the Clinic” – said Douglas Arnott, member of the Curatorium of the Robert Burns International Foundation.

Further information on this initiative.

Background information

The SOTE II. Department of Paediatrics, Budapest celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2010. This establishment with a great history is a place for sophisticated medical services, education and scientific research. It boasts internationally-recognized achievements in a number of fields of paediatrics. The Clinic plays an important role in the treatment of children suffering from tumour-related illnesses, including leukaemia: they treat as many children as all the other oncology centres in Hungary put together.

The Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) was established in Budapest in 2005 with the participation of the members of the Hungarian-Scottish Society. One of the main goals of the organization is to carry out fundraising in a professional and transparent manner to support sick and disadvantaged children in Hungary and Central Europe.
In the course of its history, the Foundation has raised and distributed one million euros, partly in the form of financial aid provided to children’s health institutions in Hungary on a regular basis. In 2012 the Hungarian Junior Paralympics Team received a special bus as a result of the donation appeal of the organization. Besides its charity activities, the Foundation also places emphasis on the exchange of cultural experience between Scotland and Hungary.

Visit Robert Burns International Foundation (RBIF) online