Disaster relief in China and Myanmar
Siemens and its employees contribute to disaster relief efforts
In May 2008, countless people in China suffered the consequences of a powerful earthquake and in Myanmar wide swaths of land were destroyed by a cyclone. In both southern China and in neighboring Myanmar, houses collapsed and people were buried under the debris. These disasters cost tens of thousands of people their lives and made hundreds of thousands homeless. Siemens has contributed both money and technical support to the relief efforts. Siemens employees also donated money and hands-on support.
Technical support
According to estimates, more than 50,000 people died and 245,000 were injured as a result of the earthquake in China alone. This, the worst earthquake in 30 years, destroyed the homes of more than 4.8 million people. And in neighboring Myanmar, wide swaths of land were destroyed by cyclone Nargis, which killed up to 100,000 people.
The Healthcare Sector in China provided urgently needed diagnostic equipment and set up a 24-hour Emergency Task Force to remotely monitor the medical devices supplied by Siemens and by other manufacturers, as they were being used in the affected regions.
Under the auspices of the Caring Hands program, Siemens also donated 15 SkyHydrant water filters. These water purification systems based on Siemens technology are robust, reliable, easy to operate and maintain. Because they are light and compact, they can be transported easily to remote areas and installed there. One such device can purify up to 10,000 liters of drinking water per day, removing dangerous pathogens and impurities.
| Earthquake region receives telediagnostics system |
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| To provide medical assistance to the victims of the earthquake, Siemens Healthcare China set up a telediagnostics system in Sichuan province on May 18. This system, which was made possible through Siemens’ cooperation with Huaxi Hospital, Huaxi Public Medical Information Service Co. Ltd. and Chengdu Telecom, connects the hospital in the provincial capital of Sichuan with the hospital in Mianzhu City, 70 kilometers away from Chengdu, in the center of the earthquake-affected area. By means of the new system for example radiograms, made in the earthquake area, can be analyzed in hospitals in Sichuan. |
Siemens employees are raising donations
Employee donation campaigns for disaster relief in China and Myanmar are under way everywhere in China and in more than 20 other regional companies. Within a period of only two days, nearly €50,000 was raised in the company’s offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou und Shenzen. On the day after the earthquake struck, Siemens China donated approximately €185,000 to the Chinese Red Cross. Also, Siemens donated funds to the Red Cross and UNICEF to provide immediate assistance in Myanmar.
In Germany, Siemens has established the independent charitable association known as Caring Hands e.V. to collect and administer donations. Similar institutions have been established by many of the company’s regional companies as well.
Efficient organization of disaster relief efforts
Siemens seeks to assist the victims of serious natural disasters with financial donations and technical support. These efforts take the form of immediate assistance and the ensuing reconstruction. The organizational process developed by Siemens to quickly provide in-kind assistance and financial donations in the wake of natural disasters has proven itself effective in practice. As part of this process, Siemens experts work closely together with aid organizations on location to determine the most effective assistance in every case.