A desire to provide care – to make life better for others – is what moves people to join Mediclinic.

In 2023, employees dedicated their own time and skills to improving life for other people. These three initiatives show that caring does not keep working hours.

Breast surgery in Uganda

In 2023, the breast centre at Klinik Stephanshorn reached a significant milestone: a decade as centre certified by the Swiss Cancer League. To achieve this stamp of approval, centres must meet around 100 stringent quality criteria – achieving this certification for 10 years running is testament to the unstinting care provided at Klinik Stephanshorn. Astrid Bergundthal, the administrative lead for the breast centre, knew just how to commemorate the achievement in a meaningful way.

Astrid is one of the founders of Cheira, a Swiss NGO that provides medical and surgical assistance in Africa. Some years previously, Cheira had donated an ultrasound machine to a hospital in Uganda – Astrid proposed that members of the Stephanshorn breast team travel to Africa to show local doctors how to screen and treat women for breast cancer.

Along with Astrid, the team consisted of a surgeon and anaesthetist affiliated to Klinik Stephanshorn, two scrub nurses and an anaesthetic nurse. In October 2023, on the occasion of Breast Cancer Month, the close-knit team journeyed to remote Kisoga in the Ugandan countryside, where a crowd of women welcomed them. Although specialist treatment for breast cancer is available in the capital, Kampala, the distance and costs keep rural women from getting the help they need.

Over the course of several days, the team screened in the region of 80 women. In Switzerland, they would use a biopsy to determine if a mass is malignant, but there was no option to get quick, affordable pathology reports in Uganda. ‘Fortunately, our doctor is extremely experienced and by using ultrasound he could say with a high degree of confidence whether a mass was cancer or not,’ explains Astrid.

Ultimately, the team performed 23 operations to remove tumours. The conditions were very different from what they are used to: two basic operating rooms and rather ancient anaesthesia machines. But thanks to the experience built up over years working together, they could perform the procedures successfully. ‘In Switzerland, we have access to all the latest technology and medicine.

In Uganda, we saw that with elementary equipment we could make a big difference,’ she says.

Participants find that a mission such as this puts the day-to-day challenges at home into perspective. The volunteers say they have newfound appreciation for their working conditions and the high standards of healthcare they can deliver to our clients. For the Company, it is gratifying that employees connect on a personal level with our purpose to enhance the quality of life. For Astrid, the opportunity to do such meaningful work was an enriching experience. ‘The happiness of the people when you bring them hope and healing is something we will not forget.’

World food day

At first glance it may look like a production line for meal packages as Mediclinic employees fill bags with rice, lentils and soy. But the initiative is so much more. It is a six-year-old who can concentrate in class because they had a proper meal. It is a parent who has hope for the future because their family is fed. And it is a team united in care for their community.

For World Food Day on 16 October 2023, our Pietermaritzburg Hospital in South Africa teamed up with Rise Against Hunger to package 50 000 nutritious meals. Each meal package can feed up to 12 adults or 20 children. Through a partnership with the regional radio station, East Coast Radio, we invited the community to nominate charities that would benefit from the meals.

The hospital has supported Rise Against Hunger since 2017, growing the number of meals 10-fold in that time. ‘Many of our people want to make a difference in the lives of others. As it is not always possible for our own employees to donate cash, I encourage them to give an hour of their time,’ says Reshnee Beekrum, who manages CSI for the hospital.

Mediclinic supplied the room and equipment while our employees lent their hands and generous spirit. Teams from emergency responder ER24 volunteered when not on shift or during lunch breaks – a chance to bond with their hospital colleagues. Motivated youngsters from local schools came to support the efforts too. A rotation register kept the production line moving while music kept the volunteers energised. East Coast Radio also joined for an hour, contributing to the positive vibe. ‘Our target was to pack all the meals within eight hours – we did it in seven!’ reports Reshnee.

In total, employees from eight of our hospitals in Southern Africa packed over 130 000 meals. Caring for our clients or caring for our community – it all comes down to fulfilling our purpose.

Handcrafts for patients

Several times a year, doctors and nurses of the breast centre at City Hospital in Dubai set aside their scalpels and syringes to work with tools of a different sort: electric sewing machines. Their goal? To produce soft accessories that make life easier for their patients after surgery.

Following a mastectomy or breast reconstruction, a small tube is inserted to drain fluid from the surgical incision. Drains usually stay in place for a week or longer and the all-woman team noticed their patients felt self-conscious about carrying the bag that collects the fluid. ‘We decided to give them a pretty pouch in which they can place the drain bag to carry with them wherever they go,’ explains Dr Rabbia Khan, a surgeon with the breast cancer unit.

This discreet and attractive solution is just one of several handmade goodies. For patients undergoing chemotherapy, the employee volunteers produce port cushions for use in the car. Since the seat belt crosses the body directly over the area where the port is implanted, the cushion acts as a protective buffer. Heart-shaped cushions are designed to be kept under the armpit in the wake of axillary surgery, offering support and preventing fluid from accumulating.

Yearly, volunteers gather to sew and share stories, bringing their own sewing machines and other tools. Our employees are frequently joined by their former patients, who lend a hand to help sisters in need. ‘It brings us closer to our patients when we see cancer survivors coming and helping us to make these accessories. When they share their journey, it is an extraordinary feeling to know we are making a difference,’ she says.

In 2023, the industrious crafters got together for three sewing sessions and produced in the region of 150 accessories for breast cancer patients. While Mediclinic supports the initiative by providing fabric, a venue and snacks for the sewing sessions, it is the compassion of our employees that fuels the production.