Dubai World announced on Friday a R250,000 donation to the New Somerset Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. This donation means the hospital is now able to secure and purchase additional life saving equipment for the Neonatal and Paediatric Units.
Accepting the cheque on behalf of New Somerset Hospital, Dr. K. Maart, said the financial contribution from companies like Dubai World compliments the existing financial envelope of the hospital and is vital in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the hospital.
“Somerset Hospital works with underprivileged patients from extremely poor backgrounds. A large proportion of the children we treat in our paediatric, neonatal and ICU wards are HIV positive. Having additional hi-tech equipment will quicken the treatment of our children and enhance the wonderful work already being done by our medical staff,” said Dr Maart.
In Cape Town to present the cheque to Somerset Hospital, James Wilson, chief executive of Nakheel Hotels & Resorts, a Dubai World company, said it is important to take a long-term approach to development projects and play an active role in supporting local community initiatives.
“The consortium’s recent acquisition and investment in South Africa is just the beginning of what we hope will be a long and fruitful relationship with South Africa and in particular, Cape Town,” said Mr Wilson.
“The Somerset Hospital is a vital link in the sustainability of the region and provides essential services to the local community. We value the opportunity to provide them with financial support and are extremely happy that we were able to help them secure this vital medical equipment.”
Established in 1856, the Somerset Hospital is the oldest hospital in Cape Town. Initially designed to service a region of 150,000 people, its geographical remit now extends to include a densely populated area more than three times that size.
Dr Maart, said:
“As Cape Town continues to grow, funds from the private sector will enable us to better serve the community.”
“We have an extremely dedicated staff of doctors and nurses who are all doing incredible work. The commercial partnerships we are establishing with companies such as Dubai World will help provide high quality medical services to our patients that can put us on par with private hospitals.
“We welcome Dubai World to Cape Town and support their efforts to re-shape and re-vitalise our community.”
Dubai World is the holding company that manages and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for Dubai Government, and works towards making Dubai the leading hub for the commerce and trading industry. Dubai World is the driving force behind Dubai’s unique real estate concepts and complements the property boom in the Emirate. Dubai World has interests across a wide range of strategic sectors ranging from ports and Free Zones to sectors as diverse as investments and financial services. For further information please visit www.dubaiworld.ae
