Milan Children's Hospital inaugurates ICU rooms through Aramco support

Vittore Buzzi Children's Hospital (Buzzi) in Milan has inaugurated two pediatric intensive care rooms made possible through Aramco's support.

The contribution enables the Children's Hospital of Milan to achieve its goal of increasing the number of children's ICU (intensive care unit) beds from six to eight.

The new intensive care beds allow for the treatment of around 140 children per year and will support Vittore Buzzi Hospital's goal to become an international pediatric hub by 2023.

Aramco's donation of 350,000 euros, made initially in 2020 amid the global pandemic, enabled medical services to act quickly, providing support to the Buzzi Hospital to purchase essential equipment, such as intensive care ventilators and multi-parameter monitors. By creating different pathways for Covid patients and those with other pathologies, Buzzi's pediatric intensive care unit was able to care for adult Covid patients from other hospitals, as well as younger patients. In 2020, the unit cared for 345 children, including 38 Covid related cases. The number rose in 2021 to 419 children, including 30 Covid cases, all of which suffered from severe respiratory and cardiological insufficiency, requiring artificial ventilation.

The two intensive care rooms donated by Aramco, equipped with specialized instruments, will serve as the standard for future intensive care units. The rooms will be located in a new five-floor pavilion, known as the 'New and Great Buzzi' project, dedicated to emergency care. There will be 12 single rooms in total, with windows and private bathrooms, able to accommodate parents and fitted with high-tech equipment in a welcoming and child-friendly environment.

President & CEO of Aramco Europe, Ahmed Alkhunaini, who attended the inauguration said, “Supporting communities we operate in is of great importance to us, especially when it involves excellent causes like pediatric care. For Aramco, this is part of being a global citizen and pledging to make a difference across locations including Europe, where we have many projects supporting our key pillars of people and planet. The pandemic was a challenging time for lots of organizations and I want to commend the excellent work Buzzi undertook in safeguarding its community and for providing us the opportunity to assist.”

Also in attendance was President of the Buzzi Foundation, Stefano Simontacchi, who stated, "We are proud to inaugurate these two new pediatric beds, a goal that is part of the larger project of the new and great Buzzi and that contributes to make the Buzzi Hospital a center of excellence in pediatric care. Milan was one of the cities most affected by what turned out to be a serious and unpredictable global health emergency. Aramco's support also helped us to overcome the crisis."

The donation forms part of Aramco Europe's ongoing citizenship program for the region, which includes support for various organisations undertaking valuable work in relation to the environment, education, local economies and healthcare. The latest news on donations in Europe is accessible here, and includes updates on support for STEM education and biodiversity.