The health care system has been under particular strain in recent times, making it more important than ever to ensure that the necessary resources are available to make a maximum contribution to patient care and treatment. In many cases, patients who are disabled or immobile spend 24 hours a day lying in a hospital bed, so it is particularly important that hospital beds are in line with modern therapeutic principles.
Jenő Grósz, Chairman of the Board of Lidl Hungary, said: “The aim of our company’s campaign is to join forces with our customers to help Semmelweis University, one of the largest health care institutions in Hungary, which treats around 12,000 inpatient cases a month, to purchase modern, electric hospital beds, and thus to contribute to the development of Hungarian health care and to support the health of the Hungarian people.”
The height, backrest and foot end of the special beds, which cost between HUF 1-1.5 million, can be adjusted separately to the patient’s height, ensuring a comfortable and safe bed. Multi-layer mattresses reduce the risk of bedsores, lowerable guard rails allow patients to be moved more easily, while rolling wheels with brakes make it easier to transport the patient and move the beds.
“The increase in the number of state-of-the-art beds will not only contribute to the highest level of patient care and recovery, but will also increase the comfort and safety of our patients and significantly help our nursing staff,” said Dr. Béla Merkely, commenting on the cooperation. The rector of Semmelweis University and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Semmelweis University Foundation expressed his gratitude for the fundraising initiative.
He stressed that Semmelweis University is the leading institution of higher education in the field of medicine and health sciences in Hungary and the Central European region, which aims to represent the highest standards of patient care. The university’s clinics treat around 140,000 inpatient cases per year, and since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 6,000 COVID-19 patients have been treated. The special beds will also be used for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. “Thus, the donors will also support the university’s fight against the pandemic,” said Dr. Béla Merkely, who stressed the importance of vaccinations in the context of the fourth wave. “The best vaccine is the one we have in our arms,” he said.
Lidl Hungary has been committed to promoting healthy eating and a health-conscious lifestyle for years. In this spirit, for the third year in a row, it has been supporting the feeding of sick children in need of hospital care with a high-value monthly food donations, thus helping them to recover faster. In addition, it continues to promote a healthy lifestyle through its high-quality product range, consumer education campaigns and various sponsorship activities.
All Lidl stores in Hungary will participate in the fundraising campaign, which will start on October 25. More information about the campaign: lidl.hu/SEadomany
About Lidl Hungary
Lidl, founded in Germany in the 1930s, is one of the most dynamically growing food chains in Hungary. Lidl opened its first logistics center and 12 stores in Hungary in 2004, and today it has 187 stores and employs more than 7,000 people. Since its entry into the Hungarian market in 2004, Lidl has been growing steadily, not only in the discount segment, but also in terms of turnover, it has the most dynamic growth among food retail chains.
The company also pays special attention to Hungarian suppliers in order to support and develop the Hungarian economy, sourcing nearly 60% of its products from Hungarian suppliers.
The Semmelweis University Foundation was established in 1992 to support the teaching, medical and research activities of the university. The foundation is a public benefit organization, which carries out public tasks in the fields of health promotion, disease prevention, medical treatment and rehabilitation, scientific activities, research, education, training, skills development and dissemination of knowledge. For more information see: https://semmelweis.hu/english/about-semmelweis-university/foundations/semmelweis-university-of-medicine-foundation/
Translation: Tamás Deme
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University
