OREANDA-NEWS. Vale supported the renovation of a hospital in the province of South Sulawesi, in Indonesia, where we have nickel operations nickel operations. The hospital reopened its doors in February, with newly installed patient and intensive care rooms, a laboratory, offices and health promotion rooms. ?With these new additions, the two-storey building will better serve the local residents and those of the 19 adjacent villages. Vale's support is intended to expand the access to health care for neighbouring populations of our in-country operations.

The reopening ceremony, following the renovation, was attended by local authorities and representatives from the community and our company, such as the Vale leader in Indonesia, Nico Kanter. He stated that our investment in the hospital was the result of a survey of community needs. “We hope that the clinic will meet the residents' and government's needs with regard to sustainable, quality health care services,” emphasized Kanter.

At the event, some of the accidents that occurred in 2011 in the area were remembered, including one in which inadequate treatment for the victims resulted in the death of a child. This incident encouraged the local government to seek partnerships with the private sector to renovate the clinic.

Vale in Indonesia

We operate open-pit nickel mines and a processing plant in Sorowako. The nickel produced is sent primarily to our refineries in Japan. Our operations in this Asian country have been based on environmental responsibility. Furthermore, our recovery initiative of nickel-producing areas was rewarded by the local government on four consecutive occasions. The program includes the revegetation of areas around the mines and soil remediation, as well as the reintroduction of native species and other actions.