It was a personal experience that made Dr Thomas Rolfs a team member at I.S.A.R. Germany. The example of his host father during his student days, a South African orthopaedic surgeon who repeatedly treated patients in his home country free of charge, had a lasting impact on him. Giving back something of what he himself has received has been a matter close to his heart ever since.
The senior physician at the Clinic for General and Special Visceral Surgery at Philippusstift has been involved in the charitable aid organisation I.S.A.R. Germany since 2013. The organisation provides aid after natural disasters or accidents.
His last mission took Thomas Rolfs to Les Cayemites in Haiti in August. Days earlier, the island nation had been hit by a devastating earthquake. The accounts of the mission and the help that Thomas Rolfs and his team provided there under the most difficult conditions left a deep impression. Without hesitation, KKE Managing Director Inken Schnatmann agreed to support the organisation with material from the remaining stocks at Marienhospital. Four operating trays were assembled and sterilised. A mobile operating table, a wheelchair and a gynaecological examination chair also made the journey from Altenessen to the I.S.A.R. central warehouse in Hünxe. The equipment is now being dismantled and packed there.
"I think they will be ready for use in two to three weeks," says Thomas Rolfs. On behalf of I.S.A.R. Germany, he thanked his employer for the generous donation. "The fact that what is no longer needed here makes it possible for us to provide valuable assistance in the event of a disaster." Inken Schnatmann will soon be able to see for herself how the almost 150 registered and trained I.S.A.R. volunteers across Germany prepare for their missions. Dr Rolfs invited the KKE Managing Director to the spring exercise on the grounds of the former military airport in Weeze.
KKE Managing Director Inken Schnatmann and Dr Thomas Rolfs at the symbolic handover of the donation at the Philippusstift.