Ramsay staff rally together in bushfire appeal

Ramsay Health Care's bushfire relief campaign has
raised $176,000 to support affected communities, with the global
group's Australian CEO hailing the "incredible generosity" of its
employees.

Thousands of staff across Ramsay's nationwide
hospitals, clinics, day surgeries and corporate teams brought in
nearly $88,000 through fundraisers and raffles in January 2020, which
the company matched dollar-for-dollar.

The proceeds will be donated to the NSW Rural Fire
Service, Victoria's Country Fire Authority, and the South Australian
Country Fire Service Foundation.

"It is often during times of hardship that
people display incredible generosity and band together; this has
certainly been the case during this bushfire emergency. It is
uplifting to see such care and goodwill among our teams here,"
Ramsay Australia CEO Danny Sims said.

"Some of our own staff were among those people
whose properties were damaged or destroyed in the blazes, and their
colleagues have really rallied around to support them," he added.

Founded in 1964, Ramsay's creed is "people
caring for people" – which Mr Sims said was reflected in the
bushfire relief efforts.

The company paid workers who volunteered for
emergency services, gave financial assistance to staff whose homes
were directly impacted by the fires, and made free counselling
available through its employee assistance program.

The Paul Ramsay Foundation has also set aside $30
million to support affected communities, with an initial $3 million
given to the Red Cross, the Foundation for Rural and Regional
Renewal, and St Vincent de Paul for immediate relief efforts.

Many of the group's 70-plus hospitals also ran
local campaigns to support their communities, including donations of
medical supplies to wildlife carers for treating injured animals.

"The vision of our founder, Paul Ramsay, was to be a healthcare company with a philosophy of people caring for people. We strive to make sure this value is at the centre of everything we do," Mr Sims said.

Read more: Private hospitals step up for bushfire-ravaged communities

Read more: Baxter group unites for bushfire relief

Next On The Ground:
18/2/2020 Do you have unpaid super?

Previous On The Ground:
12/2/2020 Improving access to care - Cairns Private Hospital