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The children's burn unit has been upgrades to feature in creased bed capacity and meet international standards.
Sister Emelda Moagi works on babies in the paediatric burn unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
The newly renovated paediatric burn unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital was officially launched on Thursday.
The improved state-of-the art unit, which cost R26 million, is the only dedicated children’s burn treatment centre besides the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town.
Dr Nomonde Mqhayi-Mbambo, a leading physician at the hospital, highlighted the importance of the unit.
“Our goal is to help these children return to as normal a life as possible, even if they’ve been severely scarred.
“While we may not be able to restore them to their pre-injury state, our multidisciplinary team, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, plastic surgeons and experts in dressings and skin grafts, work tirelessly to improve their physical appearance and overall well-being,” she said.
The paediatric burn unit at the hospital sees around 600 to 700 children annually.
According to Mqhayi-Mbambo, many of the children might not have survived without the advanced treatment offered at the unit.
“It is unique because it provides both high care and intensive care unit services,” Mqhayi-Mbambo said.
“When a child is critically ill, it’s not just the child who suffers – the whole family is affected.”
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The original burn unit at the hospital was opened in 1990 by Johnson & Johnson but had long struggled with insufficient capacity to meet the increasing demand.
With the expansion, the intensive care unit capacity has been increased from six to 11 beds and will now offer a rehabilitation service.
“During the walkabout, one of our professors pointed out that the old intensive care unit beds were too small and didn’t meet international standards,” Mqhayi-Mbambo said.
“The new unit has significantly expanded our capacity and reduced waiting times for patients needing critical care.
“Additionally, the new design is in line with international standards and incorporates infection prevention measures, which are essential for burn patients, as they are highly vulnerable to infections.
“The rooms are designed as a closed system to minimise exposure and reduce the risk of infections.”
Jerome Loveland, head of paediatric surgery at Chris Hani hospital and chair of Surgeons for Little Lives, reflected on the long journey of the project since 2015.
“While we were all working at the hospital, one of the areas that needed attention was the paediatric burns unit.
“The unit’s capacity was no longer sufficient to handle the growing number of patients. We had reached a point where it didn’t have sufficient capacity to treat the patients we were seeing and this was impacting care,” he said.
Surgeons for Little Lives was founded 10 years ago with the aim of improving surgical care for children, particularly in the area of burn treatment.
Loveland emphasised the far-reaching impact of the new burns unit. “Burns are one of the leading causes of trauma among children and this unit will play a crucial role in saving lives and improving recovery outcomes in the care of children, not only from Soweto but from across Gauteng and beyond.
“It will provide long-term, sustainable benefits to the community,” Loveland concluded.
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