5 000 nappies for Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital
CORONATIONVILLE – The hospital received this donation from Brand SA and now new mothers from the hospital will have supplies to take home to look after their new baby.
Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital was ecstatic over a donation of 5 000 nappies and 192 wet wipes from Brand South Africa on 17 March.
For this impactful donation to happen, it took the passionate work of final year medical student at Wits University, Raheema Adam, who through social media, asked the community to step forward and donate baby supplies to the hospital. In the five weeks she was on rotation at the hospital, her heart was touched by all the mothers and babies who came through the hospital doors. “The care and support given to new moms by the hospital is just beautiful, and though I know government hospitals get a bad representation, the care given to patients at this hospital is inspiring,” she said. So Adam started personally collecting essentials a mother would need ‘so that when mothers come to Rahima Moosa in search of supplies they get things they need’. Thereafter, she spread the message and requested donations.
“My post was seen by Brand South Africa and they decided to come on board and donate.” She added that she was just a medical student who wanted in some small measure to positively affect the life a mother at the hospital. On the day, there to accept the grand donation with deep appreciation was CEO of the hospital, Nozuka Mkabayi. She said the hospital was honoured to host the Brand South Africa team which included TV personality and brand ambassador, Siv Ngesi.
“It is rare that we get donations and even more rare that we get them in the midst of a pandemic, everybody is suffering and most people are scaling back. So to be given something at a time when everyone is feeling the pinch is much appreciated,” said Mkabayi, adding that for new mothers and babies to get something of this magnitude was very special. Professor Ashraf Coovadia, chief specialist and head of the department of paediatrics and child health, said the hospital had various specialist units that ensure children were given a fighting chance.
“We don’t just train paediatricians, we also train sub-specialists, and currently we have two neonatologists in training, one from Tanzania and one from South Africa.” For Ngesi, children have secured a very special place in his heart and he does a lot of work in the prenatal wards of Groote Schuur Hospital. There he has learned a lot about the importance of a baby’s first few hours of life. “And if the facilities are not there to care for the child in those hours, it turns negatively,” he said. Ngesi thanked the hospital for all the incredible work they did which gave him inspiration.
“I have been to many hospitals but I never been to one that feels this warm, where it comes across that everyone likes each other and that everyone actually wants to be here. “I know how difficult it is what you do, but in the same breath I know just how rewarding it is too because I have walked into a children’s ward and left wanting to adopt them, and children touch your heart.” Nursing manager at the hospital, Mbulaheni Luphai said she knew all too well the importance of the nurturing process.
“Just like that nurturing a midwife does, we hope that Brand South Africa will continue to nurture us as they just have and will not abandon us.” Luphai concluded that this was the largest donation received by the hospital from a single organisation.
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