By Hajira Khota
01:10:2021

The Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation awarded the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital a much-needed boost with a R70 million donation. In collaboration with WITS University, a new wing will be added to the Bara Burns Unit as part of this massive monetary influx.

Professor Martin Smith, Academic Head of the Department of Surgery, Wits University spoke to Radio Islam International; he says “unfortunately, burns are a prevalent complication of our trauma scourge. The Burns Unit is a one-of-a-kind institution that treats badly burned patients as a referral centre”.

Each year, more than 250 adults and 500 children with severe burns are sent to CHBAH. Access to vital care has become a major concern as a result of these rising numbers. The Chris Hani Burns Unit has now become Gauteng’s only health facility that specialises in diagnosing and treating burn patients who cannot afford private treatment.

The new structure was unveiled at a ceremony on the construction site. The Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit, which will be located in Soweto, will comprise a high-tech skin bank and tissue engineering laboratory.

Bara Hospital, according to Smith, is critical to the healthcare of communities in Gauteng and neighbouring provinces.

“It also provides crucial training for all healthcare personnel involved in the complex care of badly burnt patients, as well as critical evidence to aid in the advancement of patient management in the present era.”

“More ICU beds, which mean more patients, will be available as a result of the burn centre’s expansion. We’ll have to accommodate more operations because each burned patient must be taken to theatre for the removal of old skin and a skin graft”.

Professor Shabir Madhi, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at Wits also welcomed the donation.

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