Ramsay Health Care and staff raise $148,000 for farmers

Sep 27, 2018

Thousands of Ramsay Health Care workers - including nurses, catering staff, and wards people – have dug deep to raise almost $74,000 for drought-affected farmers. Ramsay Health Care has matched their donations dollar-for-dollar, bringing the total amount to $148,000.

Employees raised the money through barbecues, lunches, and bake sales at more than 70 facilities across Australia. Many staff members swapped their normal uniforms for farmer attire in an additional show of their support.

 Ramsay Health Care Australia CEO Danny Sims said it was heart-warming to see so many health care workers rallying behind the nation’s farming community.

“It has been truly overwhelming and uplifting to see the response across all Ramsay facilities. Like the rest of the country, we are sympathetic to the plight of the farmers and this was one way we could offer some assistance to those who are really doing it tough on the land,” Mr Sims said.

“In particular, a special mention must go to the staff at Westmead Private Hospital who managed to raise more than $10,000 – what an incredible effort!”

Mr Sims said he was proud to present the $148,000 cheque on behalf of all Ramsay staff to Charles Alder, CEO of Rural Aid. The Australian charity was founded in 2015 and operates the Buy A Bale campaign.

“This donation will be put to good use to support our farmers in many ways including fodder for their animals, as well as mental health assistance,” Mr Alder said.

Rural Aid counsellors have completed approximately 700 counselling sessions in just six weeks, highlighting the mental health needs of drought-affected communities.

In addition to the $148,000 donation, Ramsay Health Care, which is Australia’s largest private hospital operator, is waiving hospital excess fees and/or co-payments to make it easier for farmers to access the treatments they need.

Eligible farmers and primary producers who present to hospital for treatment from this Monday 1 October 2018 until 31 March 2019 will be able to access the discounts.

“In this really tough environment, this will mean farmers can keep more money in their pockets and have better access to health services,” Mr Alder said.

For more information, including eligibility criteria, please click here.