Life Saving Equipment For Babies In Fiji Delivered

The Lautoka Hospital Paediatric Department received a major shipment of critical medical equipment today following the Accor Race to Survive to Cure Kids fundraiser held in Fiji in November last year.

The equipment includes essential incubators, a Criticare monitor and infant monitoring devices. A presentation was made to Lautoka Hospital’s Head Paediatrician Dr Rigamoto Taito at Mercure Hotel Nadi by staff from Accor Hotels and Resorts including a large number of those who both organised and participated in the key fundraising event.

Lautoka Hospital is the largest hospital on the west coast of Viti Levu and Head Paediatrician, Dr Rigamoto Taito is particularly thrilled to receive the new Travel Incubator which will be used to transport critically ill babies to Suva Hospital for specialist care. A working Travel Incubator was previously unavailable on the west coast.

Since helping to launch Cure Kids Fiji in April last year, Accor Hotels has raised more than FJ$280, 000, for medical care for the children of Fiji. In 2006 funds raised purchased paediatric probes and vaccines to treat children with kidney disease. A sponsored teaching and consulting visit from children’s kidney specialist, Dr William Wong, from Starship Hospital in Auckland proved invaluable.

Accor’s spokesperson in Fiji, Paul Stevens, General Manager of Sofitel Fiji says it’s fantastic to see all their fund raising efforts come to fruition.

“Our Accor team and our business partners, here and in New Zealand and Australia have worked hard to raise these funds to help improve the odds for the children of Fiji and it’s wonderful that the children of Fiji will benefit from essential medical equipment that we generally take for granted.”

“We have already committed to purchasing more incubators in the near future and have instigated a fund to for ongoing maintenance and replacement of the equipment we provide to ensure long term sustainability.”

“The “Accor Race to Survive to Cure Kids” attracted international and local competitors and corporate sponsors from Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. Such was the success of the event and the ongoing commitment from those who participated and the sponsors, plans are underway to stage the event again in 2008,” says Mr Stevens.

A DVD produced on the fundraising event recently took out the top prize - The Chairman’s Award - at the Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange Air Pacific Tabua awards.

Air Pacific’s Tabua Marketing Awards recognise those in Fiji and around the world who have spent considerable time and effort to create a superior product to promote Fiji or a South Pacific Island. The Chairman’s award was presented by Fiji’s Interim Minister for Tourism, Bernadette Gamilau and Accor were given a special commendation for the outstanding example of Tourism working with and for the community. Special mention was made about the amazing effort and commitment that has gone towards improving children’s health in Fiji by Accor. It was stated that this was a fantastic example of the Tourism industry investing in Fiji’s future – its children.

The awards dinner was attended by nearly 700 tourism suppliers and sellers from around the world and Fiji’s interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

.Accor Hotels Manage Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, Mocambo Hotel Nadi and Mercure Hotel Nadi in Fiji.

Accor is the worldwide leader in hotels, tourism and corporate services, employing 170,000 people in 100 countries. It offers to its individual and corporate clients nearly 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:
- Hotels: over 4,000 hotels (475,000 rooms) in 90 countries (including 150 hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific under the brands Sofitel, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1) as well as backpacker hostels, travel agencies, restaurants and casinos;
Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 21 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor

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