Protective equipment, tablets in nursing homes, “wellness spaces” in hospitals: the money and in-kind donations collected from the French during the first year of the Covid epidemic have generally been used wisely, he estimated on Monday the Court of Accounts.
The approximately 200 million euros raised in a few months by five philanthropic organizations to deal with the epidemic crisis could “deploy rapidly”. More than half allowed to support patients and caregivers, the rest was used for medical research and help for vulnerable people, says the Court of Auditors.
Powered to control not only “public money”, but also “public money”, the Court explains that it conducted an investigation into the use of donations collected, during the Covid epidemic, by the French Red Cross, the Fondation de France , the Pasteur Institute, the AP-HP Foundation and the Hospitales Foundation.
Collection multiplied by 9
The generosity of the French was particularly marked during this period: the Fondation des Hôpitaux thus multiplied its collection by nine between 2019 and 2020, and the Fondation de l’AP-HP (Paris public hospitals) by 11. In addition to money, the individuals and companies donated food products, microwave ovens for hospital bathrooms, and sophrology sessions for caregivers.
And with the money raised, the organizations have financed research projects, medical equipment, food trays for caregivers or tablets to facilitate communication between residents of nursing homes and their families.
The financed projects were “in accordance with the messages of the calls for donations”, estimate the Three Wise Men, who nevertheless formulated some caveats, pointing out some irregular accounting entries or noting that “it is worth improving the information for donors” on the use of their money.
Source: BFM TV
