Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital facility receives state-of-the-art equipment

Our children are our future, and it is with this vision in mind that the development of the R1-billion Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Parktown took a step closer to completion.

To date, R790 million has already been donated towards the state-of-the-art, specialist facility, which is set to open in December, according to Nana Magomola, deputy chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust.

“Construction of this life-saving facility began on 22 April 2014 and we are extremely excited to be nearing completion and look forward to opening the hospital. We encourage the private sector and all individual citizens to open their hearts and support the future progress of the hospital which will change the landscape for children’s specialist medical treatment across Africa,” Magomola added.

She further explained that the need for the hospital stemmed from there being only four specialised children’s hospitals on the African continent – two in Egypt, one in Nairobi and one in Cape Town. This is compared to 23 in Canada, 19 in Australia, 20 in Germany and 157 in the US.

Because of this, the General Electric Healthcare (GEHC) has accelerated the completion of specialised children’s hospitals, in addition to secondary and tertiary facilities across Africa. GEHC is committed to healthcare delivery across the continent, by not only supplying much-needed medical equipment but by also offering tailored end-to-end solutions to ensure a long-term sustainable impact.

“All children have a right of access to quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to fulfil their potential, and this is why our approach includes hospital planning to optimise space and technology, the establishment of healthcare training and education centres, skills transfer initiatives and support in the governance of public and private facilities,” explained Farid Fezoua, president and chief executive officer of GEHC Africa.

GEHC has collaborated with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust and Standard Bank.

“As Africa’s largest bank by assets, Standard Bank sees Africa as our home and we are committed to her growth and also concerned about her future. This is why we will continue to seek collaborative partnerships to support worthy causes that assist in securing a bold, vibrant future for the continent we love so much, and for her children,” said David Munro, chief executive officer of corporate and investment banking at Standard Bank.

The new hospital will be a 200-bed specialised paediatric hospital located on the campus of the Wits land donated in 2009. Expansion to 300 beds has been included in the design of the hospital, which will feature centres of excellence in haematology, oncology, pulmonology, cardiology, craniofacial, renal and general paediatric surgery; the academic platform of which will be overseen by, but not exclusive to, Wits.

Details: www.nelsonmandelachildrenshospital.org