Novartis marks 20th annual Community Partnership Day

Novartis has celebrated the 20th anniversary of its annual Community Partnership Day, which gives staff the opportunity to dedicate their work day to volunteer work.

More than 27,500 Novartis associates across 84 countries have committed an estimated 220,000 hours to supporting their local communities, social institutions and not-for-profit organisations.

The event is held each year to commemorate the foundation of Novartis in 1996, and brings together staff in regions as diverse as the US, Switzerland, Canada, France, Malaysia, China, Mali, Russia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Brazil, Finland and the United Arab Emirates.

Examples of the activities staff have been engaged in include work with nursing homes, local charities, day excursions with disabled people, blood donation drives and the distribution of toys to sick children.

This comes after the company announced a new partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross earlier this month, with the aim of improving care and treatment for Syrian refugees in Lebanon suffering from chronic diseases.