The Renesansa company owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Shelkov has signed a HRK 1.8 million five-year donation agreement with the Dubrovnik General Hospital for the purchase of new medical equipment and further training of medical staff.

Shelkov is restoring Villa Aurora in Trsteno, outside Dubrovnik, and a former holiday resort on the nearby island of Jakljan. His company has now undertaken to donate HRK 370,000 a year to the Dubrovnik hospital for the purchase of modern medical equipment and additional training programmes for its staff.

The company’s CEO, Doroteja Ivanjko, said that the idea came from the owner, Mikhail Shelkov, as a logical step at the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Shelkov is well known for his charitable work, not just in Dubrovnik, but also on Mljet island which he often visits. Future donations to the hospital will depend on its annual needs,” Ivanjko said.

The hospital’s director, Marijo Bekić, said that the first donation would be used for the purchase of modern beds for the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics to facilitate postnatal recovery.

Shelkov made money on titanium and on manufacturing aircraft technology. In 2006, he was declared an honorary citizen of Mljet for his contribution to the overall quality of life of the local island community.