Hanoi: Messer Vietnam Industrial Gases and The Dr. Hans Messer Foundation have made a donation to the East Meets West's (EMW) Operation Healthy Heart program which will provide equipment to the pediatric intensive care unit for Cardiac Surgery at Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi, under the direction of Chief of Cardio - Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Le Ngoc Thanh.

The donation from the Messer Foundation is a collaboration between East Meets West, Draeger Industries and the Messer charitable foundation related to Messer Industrial Gases in Vietnam. Two Draeger Ventilators, donated to the Messer Foundation by Draeger Industries will increase capacity in the Cardio-Vascular ICU area of Viet Duc and increase capacity for children's surgeries. The new equipment is valued at over $160,000.

"The Messer Foundation has become a major partner in our efforts to work with the Vietnamese medical system to improve capacity and care. This is the third major donation from Messer, and each of the donations will have a significant effect on the hospital's ability to save more children."

EMW's Director of Development, Robin King Austin, said, "The Messer Foundation has become a major partner in our efforts to work with the Vietnamese medical system to improve capacity and care. This is the third major donation from Messer, and each of the donations will have a significant effect on the hospital's ability to save more children. We are so thankful for the friendship and support of Stefan and Petra Messer, The Messer Foundation and the staff of Messer Industrial Gases in Vietnam. We are also thankful to Draeger Industries.   Their donation to the Messer Foundation will help in our efforts to increase capacity of this cardiac unit."

Earlier this year a similar equipment donation by the Messer Foundation improved the neonatal units at Binh Duong Hospital and the National Hospital of Obstretrics (C Hospital) in Hanoi. These donations, part of the EMW program Breath of Life, were valued at $22,000.

Messer has been located in Vietnam since 1999 and expanded its operations in 2005 with a new manufacturing plant in Binh Duong Province. Messer also operates a plant in Haiphong. The name Messer has been associated with expertise in industrial gases for more than 100 years. The owner-managed Messer Group manufactures and supplies oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, helium, inert welding gases, special gases, gases for medicinal use and a wide variety of gas mixtures. The company employs over 4400 employees in 120 facilities in Europe, Asia and South America.

Messer, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany has a long history of philanthropy. "With our Dr. Hans Messer Foundation we focus on helping those who are less fortunate in countries where we operate." says Stefan Messer, owner of Messer Group and grandson of the founder. "We are very impressed with the programs of East Meets West (EMW) and the difference they are making in improving and adding to medical infrastructure across Vietnam.   We are happy to provide this equipment which will enable more children to receive life saving heart surgery each year."

Related Links:

Read more about EMW's Operation Healthy Heart (OHH)

Read more about Messer Foundation