THE PRESIDENT AND CEO ARTURO LICENZIATI SAYS “WE WILL DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO HELP PEOPLE AND OUR COMMUNITIES TO FACE THIS TIME OF EXTREME NEED.”
Continuing to send basic medical supplies such as disinfectant gels, face masks, alcohol and eye protection to health and welfare facilities on the front line in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is not enough. In the last few days, the company has decided to donate half a million Swiss francs to support healthcare facilities in the worst affected areas and to set up a charity fund to channel the donations and private initiatives of all employees.
Arturo Licenziati, President and CEO of IBSA Group, delivered the news and alongside him are all the men and women who work for the company each and every day and who are committed to guaranteeing therapeutic continuity to patients, doctors, families and wider communities.
In his announcement of the new measures, the President said “People have always been one of the four cornerstones of IBSA. They are at the core of everything we do. Faced with what is happening in our communities in the Canton of Ticino and in Lombardy, we felt an urgent need to make our contribution to supporting the organisations and associations that are at the forefront of managing an unprecedented crisis. The communities in which we live and work every day are being hit hard by the emergency and it is our responsibility to help them at this time of great need. This is an awareness that is shared by all IBSA’s people”.
In the Canton of Ticino, the donation is to support the Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), which groups together the health facilities in the Canton of Ticino that are at the forefront of treating those infected, and Swiss Solidarity, which will assess how to distribute aid to the key humanitarian organisations, the Red Cross and the Federal Office for Civil Protection.
In Italy, the beneficiaries of the donation are the Ospedale Maggiore in Lodi, where the Group’s Italian branch is located, and Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, which is at the forefront of the defence of the Bergamo community, one of the most affected in Italy. Some of the amount will also be allocated to the Office for Civil Protection and the Red Cross, which are playing a key role in managing the emergency.
In addition to the Group’s institutional commitment, there is also the personal commitment of the employees. This is why a COVID-19 Fund has been set up. Funded on a voluntary basis, it will collect donations that will be used to support organisations and associations dedicated to those hit hard by the economic crisis caused by the emergency. The IBSA Group is a multinational company, but above all it is a union made up of women and men who work together to safeguard people’s health and wellbeing. This is the Group’s raison d’être.