Prince Albert NICU campaign gets $800,000 boost
Major donation pushed fundraising campaign to its goal of $2.2 million
PRINCE ALBERT When the Victoria Hospital Foundation (VHF) launched its campaign to build a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in September, it was expected it would take three years to reach its goal.
It took just six months. On Thursday, the foundation announced the conclusion of the campaign after the Malhotra family contributed $800,000 to push the project to its $2.2-million target.
The campaign raised more than $1 million in a single day on Dec. 7, when a radiothon brought in a record amount. The giving continued into January, pushing the total to $1.4 million.
Work can now begin as soon as possible to bring a new, expanded NICU to Prince Albert.
“I cannot think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to celebrate this, your giving for our Victoria Hospital NICU campaign,” VHF chair Lyle Karasiuk said.
Obstetrician Dr. Lalita Malhotra said she made the donation in memory of her late husband, Tilak. Arriving in 1975, he was the first and only pediatrician in Prince Albert for almost 20 years. He died in July 2017.
The Malhotras have delivered and cared for thousands of infants in Prince Albert and northern Saskatchewan.
“It’s a very emotional day,” Malhotra said. “Prince Albert has been home for us for 42 years, and my husband was always a person who supported the community. He encouraged me to always do everything for the community. This, I thought, was a very big thing which he would have liked to have done, so that’s what I did.”
The new NICU will help to ease the pressure on the current staff and space. The current unit is just 375 square feet and located in an old surgical closet. It’s routinely at double its capacity.
“We deliver about 1,500 babies every year at this hospital, and those babies and their families come from all over northern Saskatchewan and Prince Albert,” said Carol Gregoryk, the Saskatchewan Health Authority executive director of acute care for the northeast.
“The funds raised will make a better life for mothers, fathers and babies, including their families who we will now have actual room for, and who need that specialized care. This dedicated space will … give them more appropriate space that is safer, private and more comfortable.
“To say we’re in a bit of a state of shock is an understatement.”