The work of doctors is underpaid, I only have admiration for them, said Pavel Nedvěd and Dara Rolins during the handover of the device at Bulovka.
Sometimes it takes just one specific step to transform the everyday reality of a hospital ward for the better. Such a moment was experienced by healthcare workers and young patients at Bulovka University Hospital, where a modern device was ceremonially handed over to help children with severe respiratory problems. Representatives of the hospital, including the head of the department, Dr. Ivan Peychl, and Dr. Renata Říhová of the pulmonology clinic, shared with guests the everyday care for pediatric patients and the significance of the new equipment. Singer Dara Rolins and the general manager of the Czech national football team, Pavel Nedvěd, attended the ceremonial handover.
At Bulovka, we met with the department staff, including the head physician, Dr. Ivan Peychl, and the pneumology ambulance doctor, Dr. Renata Říhová.
Bulovka University Hospital is the regional hospital for Prague 8 and the surrounding parts of the Central Bohemian region. As a university hospital, it also provides specialized care for patients from all over the Czech Republic. The children's department has 30 beds for patients from newborn age to 19 years and specializes in respiratory diseases, bronchial asthma, heart diseases, endocrine disorders, kidney and urinary tract diseases, and digestive tract diseases.
After consulting with the pediatric department of FN Bulovka, a specific model EOVE EO-70 was chosen, which is suitable for pediatric use because the model offers friendly and playful graphics that help reduce stress in young patients during therapy and support better cooperation during treatment. On site, we also demonstrated how the new addition to the hospital equipment works.
How the device will help
The so-called cough assist is a modern non-invasive device, the procurement of which is not fully covered by health insurance due to financial costs. It helps patients strengthen or even completely replace the natural clearing of mucus production in the airways. For children suffering from respiratory problems, it enables smooth coughing. More about this was revealed by the chief physician himself.
“We consistently have a large percentage of children with respiratory issues, acute respiratory infections, shortness of breath, and partial airway obstruction in these beds. Currently, we have about 15 of them there,”
reveals Head of Department Dr. Ivan Peychl to the editorial team at LP-Life.cz.
“Primarily, the cough assistant (editor's note) is intended mainly for patients with some chronic condition that prevents them from coughing effectively. This means it is for children with various neuromuscular diseases, cerebral palsy, psychomotor retardation, and some rare genetic syndromes. Some of these children simply do not have sufficient muscle strength for coughing,”
adds his colleague, doctor MUDr. Renata Říhová.
Doctors deserve mainly gratitude
We are very pleased that the ceremonial handover was eagerly taken on by one of the most prominent couples in our show business. Although they split their time between the Czech Republic and Italy, they made time for this charitable activity.
Dara Rolins has sold millions of her albums over her entire career and also dedicates considerable effort to various charitable activities. In 2009, for example, she became the face of the breast cancer march. When we asked her why she came today, she had a clear and prompt answer for us.
“From A to Z, it all seemed meaningful to me. Even though my little girl will be 18 in a few weeks, I know how it hurt my heart as a mother when she was sick. Anything that can help another mom, and especially the children, counts, and that's why I'm glad I joined this initiative,”
she replies.
Her partner, Pavel Nedvěd, is the holder of numerous sports awards, including the Ballon d'Or for the best footballer in the world for the year 2003. In 2015, he was even awarded the medal For Merit by former Czech President Miloš Zeman. Today, he serves as the general director of the Czech national team. For doctors, one of the most successful athletes in Czech history had a clear and kind message.
“To the doctors, I would just send my thanks. Thanks for what they do. They do incredibly hard work that is poorly paid. They help children, they help people, and they do it gladly. They do it from the heart, because otherwise they couldn't do this job, I know that. No message, just pure admiration,”
he responds to the question of what he would say to the doctors.
The foundation has donated 1.2 million CZK already
The acquisition of the device was made possible by a collection from the Our Lungs Endowment Fund, which focuses on supporting pediatric patients with respiratory diseases and medical facilities where such help is most needed. The fund was established during the first wave of the COVID pandemic as a natural continuation of the charitable activities of its founder, Elena Jakubovič.
Since its inception, the fund has managed to collect over 1.2 million CZK to help those in need. A total of 41 donors contributed 136,756 CZK for the cough assist device.
Elena Jakubovič did not hide the fact that the work of the charitable foundation exceeded her initial expectations, and she herself did not expect how much doctors from such a prestigious hospital would appreciate the cooperation with the foundation.
"Today exceeds our expectations because we have Dara and Pavel Nedvěd here, and because we are helping the hospital at Bulovka, which is very important in Prague - precisely because it focuses a lot on pediatrics,"
states the founder Mgr. Elena Jakubovič, MBA.
“I would like to thank the donors very much because it is truly a big deal. We would have been waiting for such a device—I don't dare to estimate how long. And now the help is really effective, arriving on time, and above all, it will help those little children and their families,”
says Dr. Renata Říhová.
“Thank you very much, and please don't get discouraged in what you do, because you are doing a great thing for children who need it,”
concludes the chief physician of the department, MUDr. Ivan Peychl.
A total of 41 people contributed to the cough assistant. If you want to help with us next time, follow our website and our social media. Thank you all for your donations and support.
Source: original text, editorial staff, own inquiries, Fotbal.cz, Kinobox, Naše Plíce
