Good Heart, Good Cause

Charity Auction Supports Szent Pantaleon Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit

Source: Duol.hu, January 6, 2022

The charity initiative, aimed at supporting the intensive care unit of Szent Pantaleon Hospital, successfully concluded with a festive closing on Wednesday afternoon.

Petrás Gábor, the Secretary-General of the Dunaújváros Football Association, outlined the background of the initiative. His friend, who requested anonymity, had been treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit. When the signed jersey from the French football players came into his possession, he wanted it to serve a noble cause and support the unit. Petrás Gábor then reached out to Zsolt Várkonyi, the editor-in-chief of Dunaújvárosi Hírlap, to discuss how they could organize an auction, potentially even raising it to a national level. The groundwork began, and Réka Mészáros, winner of our regional Tündérszépe beauty contest, also joined in to help promote the cause.

At the end of December, Petrás Gábor received a call from Attila Kiss, the manager of the local McDonald’s, who offered to contribute 400,000 HUF to the auction.

Then, Petrás was approached by Milán Palkovics, CEO of ÉPDUFERR Nyrt., who generously pledged 1,000,000 HUF for the noble cause.

Although the original idea was for an auction, all donations were directed to the intensive care unit, resulting in a total of 1,420,000 HUF being raised for the “Dr. Molnár Gergely Foundation,” which supports the work of the intensive care unit.

The Palkovics family is well-known in Dunaújváros, as they have always been involved in environmental and social causes. Milán mentioned that this donation was not a sudden decision but part of their yearly tradition of supporting charitable organizations at the end of each year. He also shared that the signed jersey will be displayed in their meeting room for a year, after which they plan to organize a similar auction for another noble cause.

Dr. Lajos Jobbágy, the head physician of the department, and Nóra Nyuli, the assistant head nurse of the department and secretary of the foundation, expressed their gratitude for the generous support. They mentioned that this is the largest single donation they have ever received. They have long wished to purchase a new medication trolley, as the current one has been in service for 15 years. The donation will allow them to acquire two new trolleys, which will help them organize the medicines more efficiently and offer other practical features for their daily work.

Zsolt Várkonyi expressed his joy in being part of the charity initiative both directly and as a media partner, and he thanked Mészáros Réka for her involvement.

At the event, Petrás Gábor mentioned that Attila Kiss would like to contact the hospital to offer support for the renovation of one of the hospital’s departments, and Milán Palkovics offered his collaborative support for this endeavor.