Česká pojišťovna RunTour, the family running event that raised CZK 1.75 mil. to fight child asphyxia

Running strengthens one’s health, but can also help the ones in need, especially with the help of the participants to the Česká pojišťovna RunTour. At this year’s edition, to support The Human Safety Net initiative in the Czech Republic, 50 CZK (approx. 2 EUR) out of each entry fee were donated to fight child asphyxia. The final figure was more than doubled by Česká pojišťovna, the main partner of the event, through Česká pojišťovna Foundation, bringing the total to CZK 1.75 million.

As part of The Human Safety global initiative, Česká pojišťovna and RunTour running race used the contributions to purchase for the “U Apolináře” maternity a specialized STAN S41 monitor which can detect asphyxia risks in newborns. Even in high performance medical institutions, asphyxia is an affliction that can cause severe complications to newborns if not detected in due time and handled immediately.

“RunTour is not only a race. The reason why RunTour was created is to encourage people to move and, at the same time, to raise awareness about what is happening around us. This year we have donated to fight asphyxia,“ explained Jan Dvořák, RunTour event Director.

”We thank all participants of the Run Tour for joining us in fighting asphyxia. We are working with the Vita et Futura Endowment Fund, a highly reliable partner that allows us to know exactly where the funds help. We were able to make a significant difference together,” added Radek Moc, Chief Marketing & Customer Dev. Officer at Česká pojišťovna.

“U Apolináře” is one of the largest maternities in the Czech Republic, with approximately 5,000 babies born each year. The clinic’s perinatology centre pays special attention in particular to premature babies and we are now able to improve the quality of care that we provide”, stated Professor Antonín Pařízek, Head Physician of the Perinatology Centre of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic of the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague.

To support the cause, Professor Pařízek himself joined the race and was also host to all guests at the donation ceremony at the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. He was joined by doctor Alois Martan, Head of the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, which underlined that this cooperation will improve the diagnosis process when premature births occur. In addition to the delivery of the monitor, a joint document on asphyxia was also created in cooperation with the Czech TV.

Have a look at the documentary at www.ceskatelevize.cz.

Prior to this new equipment, Česká pojišťovna Foundation also purchased two Avalon FM 20 monitors and a birth simulator for the medical students.