28/02/2019

Press release: Managing partner of R&P POLYPLASTIC Andrey Menshov told why large enterprises should support young oncologists

Within the World Cancer Day, which aims at drawing public attention to this global problem, managing partner of R&P POLYPLASTIC gave an interview to the awareness raising media project of the Cancer Prevention Fund and told why large business should support young oncologists.   

Why did you start cooperation with the Cancer Prevention Fund? Please tell us the history and the main reasons for this cooperation.

Corporate social responsibility for large business is not just an empty phrase. We successfully produce and sell compound materials but this is not the only goal we want to achieve. Some time ago, we started thinking about our corporate social responsibility program. We considered different options starting from traditional targeted support of people challenged with complicated circumstances. However, we decided to choose another path.

We understand that targeted support could help people facing difficult situations. However, it has one serious disadvantage. Targeted support does not scale the complex support and does not affect large numbers of people. Problems are solved selectively instead of being solved in complex.

I know what I am talking about. Loosing health of your relatives is a great problem. Four years ago, I lost my brother. He had been diagnosed with cancer at a terminal stage.  

Statistics are not lying – each year cancer in Russia is diagnosed more often. That is why instead of providing targeted support to people with cancer we decided to help those people who is still healthy. Who is the main person taking part in combating cancer? A doctor, of course. The doctor consults people at the stage of standard medical examination and provides advice about how to protect oneself from this terrible disease. We understood that it is more important to invest in development of skills of young oncologists. First of all, I am talking about medical students, who in the near future will become doctors and people will be coming to them for advice. In that case, every invested ruble will provide maximum effect.

Which project of the Cancer Prevention Fund do you think is the most prospective and useful? What problems would you like to solve together with the fund?  

At the moment we are supporting the Higher School of Oncology and this line of work is very prospective. We support students who do not have enough financial resources to develop their skills. On the other hand, we are interested in putting into practice the idea of screening. Preventing the disease is much cheaper than curing it and curing the disease at an early stage gives better chances of overcoming it. Possibly, next year we will develop this program and provide regular anticancer checkups for our employees. We are already exploring the possibilities of implementing this practice together with the Cancer Prevention Fund.

We have already carried out a number of events, which helped to inform our employees about the risks of oncology diseases. People want to learn more. Some of them ask how to protect themselves from the disease and identify it at an early stage. We will try to answer all these questions, in the near future, we will provide screening opportunities for our employees. It will be similar to a regular medical checkup but more focused on cancer risks.

You provide support to students of the Higher School of Oncology. Why are you donating money for their education? What are the selection criteria for choosing these students?

I know that medical students often have unequal living conditions. Some students have accommodation in Moscow and St. Petersburg where the leading medical universities are located. Their parents provide certain support to them. However, some students from rural areas have to count only on themselves. Renting a flat in Moscow or St. Petersburg is very expensive; however, they have to complete their residency training. We understood that we want to help such “Lomonovs” who will became successful doctors in the future but lack finances. We carefully studied the graduates of the Moscow Medical University. Ilia Fomintsev, Head of the Cancer Prevention Fund gave us his recommendations and we chose the students who are in need of our support. I understood one important thing: if they become professionals at the research level, we will give a fresh impetus to combating cancer diseases. That is why we are ready to invest our money. I want R&P POLYPLASTIC to become a reliable back for those who are fighting cancer.  

How do you develop oncological awareness in your company’s corporate culture? Do you think it is important that your employees are aware of the risks of cancer?

I will speak in a roundabout way. The amount of money invested in the program depends on the grades our students get during their education at the Higher School of Oncology. Moreover, there is another condition, if a certain students fails to meet our criteria he will be expelled from the program. I would like to note that the criteria are not limited to successful education. Our students must carry out individual work; inform our employees of the necessity of taking part in regular checkups and etc. We already have few specific examples.  

As a first step, we decided to organize a number of cancer awareness lectures at our headquarters in Moscow and manufacturing facilities in Engels and Togliatti. We wanted to see the response of our employees. I could see their interest and appreciation. Because of these lectures, they learned many things. They thanked us for the opportunity to learn more about cancer risks. I hope next year we will continue with these lectures and students from the Higher School of Oncology will actively participate in them. I am sure they will be able to provide even more details about the latest developments in curing cancer.

This way we will be able to attract people’s attention to prevention, screening and timely diagnosis. In order to prevent cancer, first of all you have to lead a healthy life. I would like to note that complex care for the health of our employees is the main target of our participation in the program.  

What unites the companies, which regularly donate money to support funds such as the Cancer Prevention Fund?

In my opinion, such companies are united by their desire to be in direct contact with those who need help. Every business has an obligation to pay taxes part of which as we understand are spent to develop medical care, education and etc. Charity is a commitment we decide to take voluntarily.   

We want to see direct results of our social responsible program. We want to see happy faces of our employees. This is the main reason for this program!

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