OMV Petrom donates EUR 10 mln for first pediatric oncology hospital in Romania

OMV Petrom, the biggest oil and gas group in Romania, announced that it would make a record donation of EUR 10 million to local NGO Daruieste Viata for the construction of the first Pediatric Oncology and Radiotherapy Hospital in Romania.

Daruieste Viata started the hospital construction project in 2017, with the actual construction works starting in 2018. The construction cost is estimated at EUR 16 million, with another EUR 10 million being needed for the equipment, according to data on the NGO’s website.

Of the EUR 10 million sponsorship granted by OMV Petrom, half will be used to purchase the medical equipment necessary to diagnose and treat childhood cancer: a radiotherapy device, a CT (computer-tomography) machine and equipment for the operating area as well as training of the medical and auxiliary staff of the hospital. The other EUR 5 million will be used for electrical and sanitary installations and interior design works, the company said.

“We started this project from zero, but with confidence that the Romanians are able to take lives into their own hands and build a hospital for children suffering from cancer. We`ve built this project brick by brick, thanks to the extraordinary support of people who sent SMS’s and donated online, as well as to the companies that sponsored us. Every contribution, no matter how small, has helped us move forward and reach this moment in which we can get this massive support from OMV Petrom,” said Carmen Uscatu, cofounder Daruieste Viata Association.

According to Carmen Uscatu, the OMV Petrom donation is the largest sponsorship the NGO received for the pediatric oncology hospital project so far, and it helps the organization complete the project within the planned schedule.

Last year, in OMV and Petrom filling stations all over the country, more than EUR 50,000 was collected through donations from customers, money that will also be used for the construction of this hospital. The campaign will continue over the next two years.

The Oncology and Pediatric Radiotherapy Hospital is currently being built next to the Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest. Patients will have access to all the pediatric specialties required for the holistic treatment of children with cancer, and the hospital will be able to treat more than 300 children with cancer each year, as well as to perform over 9,600 oncological and non-oncological surgeries.

The hospital will have 6 floors and a total area of 12,000 square meters with a new operating area with 7 surgery rooms and dedicated departments: surgery, neurosurgery, oncology, hemato-oncology and intensive care. Daruieste Viata wants to inaugurate it in 2020.

(Photo source: Daruiesteviata.ro)