The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation announced, on Tuesday, that it has partnered with Carrefour Egypt to collect donations at its stores nationwide during February.
The donations will come from the Carrefour Egypt’s “Rest of Pound” initiative in effect at its stores across the country, with the donations gathered going towards the construction of the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre (MYGHC) in Cairo.
The partnership comes within the foundation’s long series of efforts to collect donations with the support of prominent economic institutions. The donations are being directed towards establishing the new hospital, with the aim of saving the lives of more cardiac patients in need.
The donations campaign also runs across Carrefour’s e-shopping platforms, through both the mobile application and the official website.
Carrefour Egypt’s contribution to this campaign stems from the belief in the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation’s role in developing Egypt’s health sector.
The MYGHC, which is built on 36.5 feddans, aims to provide free medical services to cardiac patients from both inside and outside Egypt. The centre is expected to have a patient capacity of up to 120,000 patients and 12,000 free cardiovascular and cardiac catheterisation surgeries annually, of which 60% will be performed on children.
The hospital will also provide training to 1,500 doctors and surgeons annually, through its training and educational centre operating under the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation. This aims to carry on the foundation’s mission to innovatively intertwine research and treatment.
It also comes in addition to a research centre, developed to the highest international medical standards in the field of basic, applied and biomedical sciences.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously reported that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death around the world. Therefore, the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation is concerned with the fast-paced establishment of the new centre to provide treatment opportunities for as many patients as possible.
Reem Gadelrab, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation, highlighted the importance of the support from corporates and institutions to bring such a massive project to life.
She also noted the vital role these partnerships play in increasing community awareness of humanitarian initiatives and ways to support charitable organisations.
Jean Luc Graziato, Carrefour Egypt Country Manager at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, said, “Our partnership with the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation is particularly meaningful and we are humbled to be working alongside a foundation that gives hope to thousands of cardiac patients, especially children.”
He added that the collaboration also emphasises Majid Al Futtaim’s role as a positive contributor to its local communities. Similarly, it also illustrates Carrefour’s dedication to supporting and uplifting the health of the communities in which it serves.
