Madiba’s children’s hospital dream to come true soon

Nelson Mandela once said: “In the end, the test of our nation’s success will be measured by the happiness and welfare of our children. They are at once the most vulnerable citizens in any society and the greatest of our treasures.”

These words were spoken at the second Annual General Meeting of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund on 25 July 1997 and now, fast forward to 2016 almost two decades later, Mandela’s dream for children across Africa is being realised as the finishing touches of the hospital are being implemented.

Siya Dokoda from the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust (NMCHT) pointed out that the hospital in Parktown is the first of its kind to be built solely on the generosity of the world’s citizens, including ordinary South Africans, global philanthropists, corporate institutions and even children themselves, as part of the For Kids by Kids initiative.

“So far we have raised R780 million, however, we are still short of R220 million and we are working hard to raise this money as we want to open the doors of the hospital by the first week of December this year,”he explained.

Dokoda pointed out that throughout the construction site of the hospital, there was a bustle everywhere and that the men and women working on the site were committed to the idea of a children’s hospital. The first and second floors are almost complete, with construction work continuing on the third floor which will include a 28-bedroom guest house for parents of the sick children who will require accommodation while their child receives medical treatment.

“The 200-bed hospital will cater to children from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region. We have built relations with other hospitals because our patients will be referrals as we will offer specialised care so we will not be taking walk-ins,”he further explained.

He noted that they were executing several public campaigns to educate the public on the services the hospital offers so that there was a general understanding and less confusion.

He encouraged members of the public to help contribute to Madiba’s dream by SMSing “Gift” to 40301 to donate R20 toward the hospital. “We really want to finish up with this phase of the hospital as we are starting with the nurses’ and doctors’ training in June. So every little bit will help us toward our goal of treating children who need specialised care,” Dokoda concluded.

Details: Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, 011 274 5600

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