Inditex founder funds ground-breaking diagnostic and radiotherapy equipment in every region in Spain
Friday, March 31, 2017 @ 4:20 PM
INDITEX empire founder and Europe's wealthiest man Amancio Ortega has donated €320 million to upgrade cancer treatment equipment in Spain.
A well-known philanthropist, Ortega's global enterprise – which includes budget high-street clothing chain Zara – handed over €17m in 2015 to the regional health service in his native Galicia.
The company appears to be bomb-proof, financially: during times of economic crisis and recession, it was one of the few non-luxury goods producers which continued to make a profit.
In fact, last year, its takings went up 10% to €3.16bn, and bonuses of €42m were handed out to all staff.
This latest donation will allow all 17 autonomously-governed regions in Spain to aquire a total of 290 pieces of equipment for their oncology departments.
They include radiotherapy units and diagnostic tools – the latter being among the most important types of equipment, since as the national cancer care and research charity AECC recalls, the key to a complete cure and successful, minimally-invasive treatment lies in detecting cancer at a very early stage.
Most of the cancers considered to carry the worst-possible prognosis are those which are practically symptom-free until they are at a very advanced stage, where the likelihood of a full recovery is minimal and most treatment is palliative only.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com