After ZNA Stuivenberg finally closed its doors on September 18 after 138 years, 90% of the entire hospital furnishings remained behind. Barely 10%, together with staff and patients, were moved to the new ZNA Cadix hospital on Het Eilandje.
Initially, ZNA wanted to donate the entire contents of the Stuivenberg Hospital to Ukraine. However, that plan did not go as expected. The NGO that wanted to take on this task turned out not to be up to the task, ZNA previously stated. And so the hospital group chose to give as much equipment as possible a second life through an auction. It is a matter of not seeing things that are still perfectly usable end up in the container park.
The thousands of items left at the hospital, from chairs to operating tables, surgical lights and walkers, were divided into 1,582 lots. A total of 1,460 of all those lots have found a buyer, accounting for 92% of the contents left behind.
Most buyers come from Belgium. “This includes hospitals, residential care centers, many veterinarians, private practices of doctors, paramedics such as physiotherapists and all kinds of associations,” says spokesperson Tom Van de Vreken. But there was also interest from abroad. “Ultimately, lottery tickets were purchased from eighteen different countries.” And this is not just about neighboring countries. “Items were also purchased from India and the United States.”
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One of the lots that were auctioned. — © Dirk Kerstens / ZNA
Not popular: office furniture
Less than 8% of the contents did not find a new owner after the auction closed. This mainly concerns office furniture and equipment that is difficult to use outside healthcare, such as bedpan washers.
“The fact that more than 90% of the items are given a second life is good news for the environment and the wallets of many people,” says a satisfied Eddy Aerts, CEO of ZNA. “Many buyers were able to acquire good material for next to nothing through the auction. Ultimately, only a fraction has to go to the container park, which limits the waste mountain.”
The auction raised – if all payments were made correctly – around 400,000 euros. “That money will mainly be used for the costs associated with emptying, cleaning and securing the Stuivenberg site,” says Van de Vreken.
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© Dirk Kerstens / ZNA
Tags: Stuivenbergs household goods find owners auction Buyers country India Antwerp
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