50th Open Tender for medical equipment

The Foundation has called a press conference to tell the public about the equipment it aims to purchase during the 50th, anniversary open tender. This time the charity will be examining and negotiating the purchase of medical devices for paediatric units and continuing its initiative of improving the conditions of parents' stay by their children's side. Members of the board of the Foundation are joined by the legal team, which oversees the process of negotiations and a team of medical and technical experts whose task it is to examine the equipment in order to determine what devices will meet the needs of patients and doctors. 

Our experts are: 

• Dr Małgorzata Czyżewska (Wrocław)
• Dr Ewa Homa (Dębica)
• Dr n.med. Joanna Kozłowska (Warszawa)
• Mgr Lilia Kimber-Dziwisz (Radom)
• Mgr Bożena Adamska (Warszawa)
• Robert Krawczyk (Warszawa)
• dr hab.n.med Ryszard Lauterbach (Kraków)
• Dr Riad Haidar (Biała Podlaska)
• Dr n. med. Wojciech Walas (Opole)
• Dr hab.n.med. Tomasz Szczapa (Poznań)
• Inż. Marcin Gostyński (Warszawa)

Negotiations are held in order for the Foundation to acquire the following devices: 

• 91 cardiotocographs
• 139 bilirubinometers
• 246 infant phototherapy lamps on casters
• 69 infant phototherapy units
• 207 neonatal resuscitation unit
• 23 transport incubators with nCPAP
• 187 nursing chairs
• 2 971 pull-down beds for parents
• 1 346 recliners for parents

Last three items on this impressive list are pieces of hospital furniture to be used by parents staying by their children's side because the Foundation appreciates the importance and influence of family presence during children's treatment. Parents and guardians provide support for medical personnel and often have to spend the night at the hospital in poor conditions. The Foundation aims to change that and provide hospitals with pull-down beds and recliners for parents. 

Chairman of the board of the Foundation, Jurek Owsiak, announced the objective of the 1% charitable tax donation drive. According to Polish tax law, each citizen can choose a charitable organization which will receive 1% of their tax return. The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation is one of the organizations eligible for  1% tax donation. The charity decided to support one of the most neglected branches of children's medicine in the country: child and adolescent psychiatric wards. Funds donated through tax return forms will be used to buy hospital furniture and other necessary devices to improve the condition of these wards.