SaskTel, Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, City of Regina team up for Tanzanian children
August 30, 2010 – Today employees from SaskTel, Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region and the City of Regina, along with volunteers from the University of Saskatchewan School of Nursing and local high schools, will gather at a City of Regina warehouse to fill a 40-foot shipping container with medical equipment and supplies, donated teddy bears, baby care supplies, maternity clothing, refurbished bikes and other items. SaskTel and the Region will share the cost of renting and shipping the container to Arusha, Tanzania where the contents will be used to help build a maternity health care centre.
“This project to support the children of Tanzania is a great example of the Saskatchewan spirit,” said Bill Boyd, Minister Responsible for SaskTel. “The organizations and volunteers in this effort should feel proud of their commitment to helping those in need wherever they happen to live.”
“SaskTel International has been working in Tanzania for many years,” said Ron Styles, SaskTel President and CEO. “This container of medical equipment and supplies to help babies and new mothers is a way for us to give something back to a country that has provided many opportunities to SaskTel and its employees.”
“This equipment has played an important role in meeting the care needs of mothers and babies in Regina over the years. I am very pleased to see it will have a rebirth helping mothers and children in Tanzania,” said Dwight Nelson, President and CEO, Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region. “The equipment in this container will be invaluable to the people of Arusha, in northern Tanzania. It will be used to support the community’s hospital and to help with the development of local clinics that will provide important support to mothers and children.”
"The City of Regina is pleased to make this contribution towards the Tanzania humanitarian relief efforts," said Mayor Pat Fiacco. "I commend our partners SaskTel and the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region for their generous donation. I know the people of Tanzania will appreciate the compassion and energy of our partners to accomplish such a life-changing mission."
This is the third Tanzania container and the ninth shipment in a larger initiative of SaskTel and the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region to help communities in need in the developing world as a result of poverty, disease, war, displacement and other challenges.
- The first container went to Makina, Kenya in December, 2006.
- The second container went to Arusha, Tanzania in April, 2007.
- The third container went to Massinga, Mozambique in February, 2008.
- The fourth container went to Ntungamo, Uganda in September, 2008.
- The fifth container went to Mwanza, Tanzania in April, 20+09.
- The sixth container went to Kathmandu, Nepal in November, 2009.
- The seventh and eighth containers went to Haiti in March and June, 2010.
About SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation (SaskTel) is the leading full service communications provider in Saskatchewan, with $1.15 billion in annual revenue and more than 1.4 million customer connections including more than 550,000 wireless accesses, 543,000 wireline network accesses, 225,000 Internet accesses and 77,000 Max™ (TV) subscribers. SaskTel offers a wide range of communications products and services including competitive voice, data, Internet, entertainment, national security, messaging, cellular, wireless data and directory services. In addition, SaskTel International offers software solutions and project consulting in countries around the world. In 2009, SaskTel contributed more than $651 million to the Saskatchewan economy through dollars spent with Saskatchewan-based suppliers and sponsorships to non-profit organizations. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 4,800 employees.
About Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region
The Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region is the largest health care delivery system in southern Saskatchewan, and one of the most integrated health delivery agencies in the country. Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region provides tertiary care to residents of Saskatchewan in two provincial hospitals - the Regina General Hospital and the Pasqua Hospital. RQHR also provides a full range of hospital, rehabilitation, community and public health, long term care and home care services.
The Region employs some 10,500 individuals, directly or indirectly. More than 550 physicians have privileges in the Region. The Region’s annual operating budget is more than $800 million - that's more than $2.2 million per day spent on meeting the health care needs of residents. Visit the Region at www.rqhealth.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Andy Tate
Media Relations, SaskTel
(306) 537-1226
andy.tate@sasktel.com
Mark Torjusen
Public Affairs, Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region
(306) 766-5332
mark.torjusen@rqhealth.ca
