Abbott wins 2011 Scrip Award for Corporate Social Responsibility

Scrip, a leading global pharmaceutical and biotech news organisation, honored Abbott and its philanthropic foundation, the Abbott Fund, with a 2011 Scrip Award for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Scrip's seventh annual awards ceremony in London on Thursday evening.  The award was presented in recognition of the significant results achieved through a decade-long, public-private partnership with the Government of Tanzania to modernize the country's health system and address critical needs in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other life-long diseases.  

Unique Public-Private Partnership Highlights Social Innovation

"We're proud to receive this Scrip CSR Award on behalf of our Abbott Fund colleagues and the Government of Tanzania," said John B. Thomas, President, Abbott Fund.  "Over the past decade, we've combined our collective expertise and resources to fundamentally and sustainably upgrade the country's health care system.  This collaborative approach has supported nationwide improvements in addressing lifelong diseases, while also strengthening broader health care services provided to all Tanzanians."  

A key component of the programme is the involvement of highly specialised Abbott employee volunteers.  This includes lab technicians who have provided extensive training and mentoring for lab staff in Tanzania, as well as contributions from other experts working in construction, engineering, facility and equipment maintenance, health care management, information technology, security and waste management. To date, Abbott employees have contributed more than 10,000 hours of on-the-ground support for the initiative.  In addition, Abbott and the Abbott Fund have invested more than pounds Sterling 55 million (U.S. $90 million) in the Tanzania programme.

Decade-Long Partnership Provides Sustainable Improvements in Care

Over the past decade, Abbott, the Abbott Fund and the Government of Tanzania have modernised infrastructure, strengthened hospital management and systems, trained health workers, and expanded access to high-quality testing, treatment and care across the country.  Specific results include:

• A 2007 government assessment found that nearly one in three people on HIV treatment in Tanzania received care at more than 90 facilities that benefited from the programme;
• Modernised labs at all 23 regional-level hospitals, effectively upgrading lab services for the entire country;
• Built a four-story outpatient center that sees hundreds of patients a day;
• Constructed the country's first modern emergency center, providing life-saving services for 30,000 people last year;
• Conducted more than 19,000 health care worker trainings; and
• Provided support services for more than 150,000 children and families affected by HIV/AIDS.