The PGNiG Group companies have committed PLN 4m to aid the fight against the coronavirus. PLN 3m will be used to finance activities placed on a list to be developed together with the Ministry of State Assets. The additional PLN 1m will be allocated by the Group to support selected healthcare facilities.

“We are the leader of the Polish gas market, but we feel particular responsibility for the local communities in the towns where PGNiG branches and Group companies operate. In this difficult time, we want to provide solid backing to our neighbours. This is an important aspect of corporate social responsibility in our business,” said Jerzy Kwieciński, President of the PGNiG Management Board. “The amount of support we have committed is not final. We are closely monitoring the situation and are in regular contact with the government administration. We will react as needs arise,” added Jerzy Kwieciński.

The first institution to receive the aid is the Institute of Mother and Child, a specialised unit which takes care of patients not only from the Warsaw area, but also from all over the country. There are life-saving clinics within the Institute, which must maintain the continuity of treatments, including the Oncology Clinic for Children and Adolescents, the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic, and the Department of Inborn Errors of Metabolism and Paediatrics. Therefore, the PGNiG Ignacy Łukasiewicz Foundation will donate PLN 300,000 to the Institute for measures to prevent coronavirus infections.

“The Institute of Mother and Child is a highly specialised hospital with a paediatric and gynaecological-obstetrical profile. It is the place of birth of many Poles, providing care to patients with oncologic and rare genetic diseases, which also lead to immune deficiencies,” says Dr Tomasz Maciejewski, Head of the Institute of Mother and Child. “We want to protect our patients as much as possible, so PGNiG’s support is invaluable,” he added.

The money donated by the PGNiG Foundation will be used to purchase personal protective equipment (masks, overalls and goggles), essential in the work of healthcare personnel.

“We greatly appreciate the instant response from PGNiG. We asked them for help on Sunday, and on Monday the decision was already made,” said Dr Dorota Kleszczewska, Chair of the Board of the Institute of Mother and Child Foundation. “Our Foundation supports the hospital in acquiring equipment, and in the current emergency situation our efforts are focused on providing the necessary safety and personal protective equipment so as to best protect the hospital’s inmates and staff.”

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Since 2014, the Institute of Mother and Child Foundation has supported the Institute of Mother and Child by purchasing the necessary equipment and co-financing refurbishments. The Foundation is also engaged in health promotion activities dedicated to children and youth based on the latest scientific advances.

The PGNiG Ignacy Łukasiewicz Foundation was established in 2004 by Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo SA.