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Employees of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg donate the cents of their salary to a hospital in Nepal every month

Achieving a lot together, cent by cent - that's the aim of the employees of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, who have been donating the cents of their monthly salary to a Nepalese hospital, Clinic Nepal, since May of this year. So far, 1,055 employees have joined in. Around 1,074 euros have been collected since the start of the campaign up to the end of July. "By donating the remaining cents, the Uniklinik Freiburg can provide a continuity of support that is important for the long-term and sustainable development of the social project," says Helmut Pötzsch, Chairwomen of the Staff Council of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. On Thursday, August 11, 2016, he welcomed the founder of Clinic Nepal, Hari Bhandary, to Freiburg together with the Chief Medical Officer of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Prof. Dr. J. Rüdiger Siewert.

The money will be used to set up a local aid system in Meghauli, Nepal, which will improve healthcare for the Nepalese - also through prevention -, promote the education and upbringing of children and young people and implement hygiene projects. This includes the establishment of a reliable drinking water supply. "Thanks to the donations from the Uniklinik Freiburg, we are currently able to support 97 children and young people in their schooling and vocational training. Two nursing staff trained in Meghauli have even recently started working at the clinic," says a delighted Hari Bhandary.

The idea of donating the remaining cents came from Michael Obrecht, an employee at the Logistics Center of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. It was developed as part of the company suggestion scheme "Pro Idee". Many employees of the University Medical Center have already supported Clinic Nepal in recent years with the Staff Council's Christmas raffle, which takes place every two years. This will be effectively continued with the remaining cents donation implemented by the Staff Council. All employees of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg were contacted once to participate in the campaign. "A great idea that we on the Board of Directors expressly welcome," says Prof. Dr. J. Rüdiger Siewert, Chief Medical Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg.

The "Clinic Nepal"

Meghauli is located next to Chitwan National Park in the south of Nepal. In 1997, Hari Bhandary, a resident of Meghauli, opened the "Friendship Clinic Nepal" in the small village with the first money he earned himself. Hari Bhandary's dream is to be realized there: Maintaining health, providing education and training, preventing disasters instead of fighting them. For him, the commitment and sense of responsibility of the local population are of the utmost importance for the success and future of the project. For example, the entire village was responsible for allocating land and procuring materials for the construction of the clinic and was actively involved in the building work. The clinic primarily trains and employs villagers. Patients have to pay for part of their treatment. For very poor patients, the clinic covers the costs. The small clinic is mainly supported by private donations from the UK, Spain, Gibraltar, the USA and Germany.

Further information:www.clinicnepal.de or www.clinicnepal.com

Caption: Visit from Nepal: Prof. Dr. J. Rüdiger Siewert, Helmut Pötzsch and Petra Mergenthaler (from left to right) receive Hari Bhandary (2nd from left) at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, who thanks them with T-shirts and flowers for the donations from Freiburg.
Copyright: Medical Center - University of Freiburg