Canadian Man Bequeaths CAD 300,000 to Szolnok Hospital

A Canadian Hungarian man left about 300,000 Canadian dollars to the Foundation for the Géza Hetényi Hospital in Szolnok, E Hungary. The amount was intended for the cardiology department of the institution.

An announcement sent to the state news agency MTI quotes Miklós Piroska, director general of the health care institution, who said that the honorary consul of Alberta, Sándor Szenthe, contacted the hospital from Canada and said that a Canadian Hungarian, István Gulácsi left a significant amount to the Géza Hetényi Hospital Foundation in his will.

Béla Herczeg, chief physician of the hospital's cardiology department, told MTI that the amount will be used for cardiology care. They modernize the electronic system of the department by buying computers, printers and other related equipment. Plans include the purchase of an ultrasound device, defibrillators, and a Holter device (an electronic device used for heart rate analysis), he said.

István Gulácsi was born in 1924 in Szolnok. He emigrated to Canada in 1949 with his wife, Erzsébet and settled in Edmonton, living in a happy marriage for 64 years. The couple regularly traveled home to Hungary. The decision to donate a larger amount to the cardiology department stems from the fact that the wife had been treated in the cardiology department of the hospital for years.

According to the will of the husband who died in 2020, the money has already arrived at the hospital’s foundation. Thanks to the generous gesture, the hospital management is preparing to pay tribute to the donor with a plaque.