BoschLive

Coming together to celebrate life. Bosch Philippines President Franz Roland Odenthal (2nd from Left) is joined by Springboard Foundation Chief Executive Annette Helbig and Give-A-Life Foundation President / Founder Stephen Jarvis (3rd & 4th from Left, respectively) at the inauguration of Dr. Fabella Hospital’s newly-constructed neonatal ICU ward, the second one supported by the company.

Manila / October 2007 – Robert Bosch Inc., in cooperation with Springboard and Give-A-Life Foundations, celebrated the completion of its second neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Dr. Jose Fabella Hospital in Sta. Ana, Manila. Together with Springboard and Give a Life Foundations, the company supported the construction of the facility that provides immediate medical care for infants born in critical condition.

“I am very pleased that Bosch social projects are managed efficiently and produce very positive results,” says Roland Odenthal, President and Managing Director of the German company’s local subsidiary. “For this, I commend Springboard and Give-A-Life Foundations for their selfless hardwork.

Through its Spark of Life program, Bosch is able to generate funds for medical and disaster relief missions from the sale of Bosch Automotive Sparkplugs – the company’s flagship product. The NICU expansion project is the company’s active response to the growing number of patients at Dr. Fabella.

“We shall continue to pursue such worthy projects that help preserve the dignity of life,” says Odenthal. In 2006 alone, some 30,000 babies were born at Fabella Hospital – a significant number of which are in poor health.

“In 100 child deliveries per day, about 20 are admitted to the neonatal ICU,” says Dr. Melissa Juico, Chair of the Dept. of Newborn Babies. While currently averaging 3,000 childbirths a month, an estimated 120 succumb to various illnesses. This figure has gone down by 25% to 88 since the opening of the first NICU ward, according to hospital staff. With the current expansion, Dr. Fabella Hospital hopes to further improve the quality of health care to newborn babies.

A sustained commitment for the Filipino

The global company, which is 92%-owned by a charitable foundation Robert Bosch Stiftung, has supported various sectors including health and humanitarian support, as well as education and society.

Other Bosch hospital-beneficiaries include the Ospital ng Maynila, Jose Reyes and Amang Rodriguez for which it manufactured phototherapy lights to control and reduce jaundice in infants.