Thanks to the fundraising efforts of employees of OCRA (Isle of Man) Limited the new renal unit at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital has an additional dialysis machine after staff at the Ramsey-based international corporate and trust service provider raised much of the ?13,500 needed to buy the equipment through sponsored dress-down Fridays, with a final boost to the fund provided by a donation from the company.
The decision to purchase the machine was inspired by a chance meeting between OCRA group director Stephen Porter and one of the company’s former long-time employees, Margaret Quayle. Mr Porter explained: ‘Margaret happened to mention that she now required regular dialysis, which meant three round trips to Douglas every week for her. Our staff had done such sterling work raising so many thousands of pounds that it was decided the best use to which we could put the money was to donate it to the Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital Welfare Trustees so the charity could purchase another dialysis machine for the new renal unit.’
Ramsey resident Margaret Quayle was an OCRA employee for 20 years. In August 2012 she was diagnosed with kidney disease and on June 17th 2013 became the first dialysis patient in the new Ramsey renal unit. She said: ‘Dialysis keeps you alive so I had to travel to Douglas three times a week for treatment. That meant about four hours each time, with a taxi journey there and back as it was too far to drive after the session which leaves you feeling weak for a while. But since the Ramsey unit opened I can drive the five minutes from home to the hospital and back. It’s made such a difference to my life and I think it’s great that the staff at OCRA should have chosen to donate the money they raised to a cause that’s so local.’
Mr Porter added: ‘As a company with a long-standing presence in Ramsey we are always pleased to be able to channel our employees’ strong sense of corporate social responsibility into doing good in the local community and making lasting contributions that can make a very real difference to people’s lives. It was against this background that the staff of OCRA were keen to make their contribution to patient care at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital.’
Receiving the cheque from OCRA on behalf of the Welfare Trustees chairman Dr Andrew Kelsey said: ‘Without generous donations from businesses such as OCRA and from philanthropic bodies, notably the Martin Trust and the Scott Trust, many of the trustees’ hopes and dreams for the hospital might have remained mere aspirations.
‘A huge vote of thanks is due to the staff at OCRA who have raised such a huge sum of money; it is a fantastic achievement and very much appreciated. The difference that these machines make to a person’s life is exemplified by Margaret. She, and many others like her suffering renal failure, has no choice but undergo dialysis treatment every week. These sessions take a big chunk out of a person’s life, so to have a renal unit in Ramsey is of enormous benefit to patients in the north and also relieves some of the pressure on the unit at Noble’s Hospital. Additionally, a dialysis facility in Ramsey means that, for the first time, we’re also able to provide treatment for patients visiting the Island on holiday or on business.
‘A dialysis machine is of course, the vital component in treating kidney failure, but equally important is the standard of care patients receive and, in this, the nursing team at Ramsey are to be commended for their caring, sensitive approach. So a big thank you to them and to all those at OCRA for helping ease the lives of people with renal disease.’
Photo - Dialysis patient Margaret Quayle is pictured with OCRA (Isle of Man Limited) staff presenting their cheque to Dr Andrew Kelsey, chairman of Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital Welfare Trustees, front row, second right, together with fellow trustees and senior sister Pam Makin. Picture Andrew Barton.
