AN extremely generous philanthropist has stepped forward to donate a massive amount of money to help manage an expected surge of COVID-19 cases in the coming months.
Just as the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation was about to launch an urgent fundraising appeal for extraordinary additional equipment to help manage the expected surge of Covid-19 cases over coming months, Alex and Violetta Sekler stepped forward to donate the whole amount currently on the wishlist.
The couple met with the Foundation’s chairman Dr Ken Chapman on Wednesday afternoon to discuss a special wishlist supplied by the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service. At that meeting, they announced they would fund almost $650,000 asked for in the Coronavirus Critical Care Appeal.
Dr Chapman said he was deeply moved that the couple, who donated $80,000 in 2019 to finalise the Foundation’s endoscopy appeal, had recognised the need.
“This is actually the largest single donation the Foundation has ever received and we are delighted to say a massive thank you to this couple,” Dr Chapman said.
The couple have donated to philanthropic causes around the world and as Cairns is their new home, decided they wanted to help their new local community – again. Mr Sekler said as they had friends and family all around the world, they felt the need to make a difference locally. “Cairns is our home. We are blessed to be in the position that we can do something to help. We have two young children and we want to be sure our hospital has everything it needs to fight the pandemic. We believe it can save lives,” Mr Sekler said.
“We have been working closely with the management of Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service to provide immediate extraordinary support to help respond locally to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak,” Dr Chapman said.
“While the State Government has provided significant funding, community funding can provide extraordinary additional medical and intensive care equipment going well beyond the normal needs of the service which will help expand local capacity in the region’s hospitals to care for COVID-19 patients, with far reaching benefits to all in the Far North,” he said.
“What this money will do is enable us to immediately order items on the wishlist such as baby ventilators, humidifiers, infusion pumps, syringe drivers, ultrasounds, defibrillators, vital signs monitors and high flow oxygen machines. It also includes 100 mattresses to allow 100 old beds that had been replaced but are still usable to be put back into service to expand the surge capacity in these unprecedented circumstances.
“These are tough times for everyone and the community needs to stick together and support the staff at our hospitals who will be the heroes of our time. Thank you to the Sekler family for leading the way with this very generous donation in support of our community,” Dr Chapman said.
To donate to the campaign CLICK HERE.
Photo: Foundation fundraising and marketing manager Glenys Duncombe, Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch, Violetta and Alex Sekler, Dr Suki Ahluwalia, Dr Ken Chapman, Foundation CEO Tony Williamson.
