Butragueño attends renewal of alliance with the IIMC and Medical Service Care

The Real Madrid Foundation has renewed its collaboration agreement with the IIMC (Institute for Indian Mother and Child) which helps run the social sports school in Kolkata (India); and with the Medical Service Care, its partner in the basketball in hospitals program in Madrid. Julio González Ronco, the Real Madrid Foundation's managing director and José Muriana, Medical Service Care CEO and president of IIMC Spain, signed the agreements at a ceremony held at Real Madrid City's conference hall. The event was attended by Real Madrid's director of institutional relations, Emilio Butragueño, and Dr. Sujit Brahmochary, founder and director of the IIMC.
In Kolkata, the Real Madrid Foundation colaborates with the Institute for Indian Mother and Child (IIMC) by virtue of an agreement with IIMC Spain, Asociación de Amigos del Instituto Indio de Madres y Niños. The school's activities are based at the football pitch at the Sikshangan Challapara school in Kheadah, a rural area to the south of Kolkata with high school drop-out rates and where the majority of the population live below the poverty line. The 150 beneficiaries of the social sports school are pupils in highly vulnerable situations, some of whom come from remote villages and live in residence during school term time. Besides taking part in training sessions, they also receive a study grant and school materials, plus nutritional support. 
Butragueño: “We provide sporting practice as a preventative measure and to maintain good health”
Thanks to the agreement with Medical Service Care, which began back in the 2018/19 season, the company specialising in comprehensive medical services management supports the social sports programs headed by the Real Madrid Foundation at the San Rafael and Vianorte-Laguna hospitals - focused on patients requireming paliative care - as well as the teenage psychiatric and mental health unit at the Hospital 12 de Octubre.
Emilio Butragueño had a few words to say at the presentation: "In both cases, we're joining the essential work carried out by doctors and we provide sporting practice as a preventative measure and a way of maintaining good health." Meanwhile, José Muriana stated: “It is a privilige and an honour for us to collaborate with the Real Madrid Foundation simultaneously on a series of projects both in Spain and abroad."
Basketball programs
The Real Madrid Foundation's basketball in hospitals program is a weekly activity carried out in public and private centres, in collaboration with hospitals and medical staff. Using a range of leisure and educational materials, the project helps the patients and works on boosting morale during their down time at the hospital.
The IIMC has been working for more than 20 years to guarantee basic health and education services to the local population. Though originally set up to offer medical assistance to those most vulnerable, it quickly became apparent that a lack of primary education and a basic knowledge of hygiene were the origin of the majority of health issues. That led to the creation of a sponsorship program that allowed the organisation to expand its operations to other areas. It now works through its medical and educational projects, as well as others aimed at fostering community development and social inclusion of women through a microloan system.