Baragwanath Hospital Burns Unit to get a new wing
The new wing of the Burns Unit initiative is a partnership between Wits University and Bara Hospital with R70 million donation from the Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation.
The 30-year-old Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital’s Burns Unit, will get a new wing, which is set to transform it to a world class facility. In a year, more than 250 adults and 500 children with severe burns, from Soweto, surrounding areas and the continent are admitted to this hospital.
This burns Unit is the only public health, specialised facility in Gauteng that serves all patients who cannot afford treatment at private facilities.
In an effort to address the issue of the increasing number of critically ill burn patients who are unable to access essential care, Wits University and Bara Hospital partnered to make the extension of the facility possible. The new wing will be built with R70 million donation from the Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation. This was officially announced on Wednesday at an event at Bara Hospital.
The head of the Department of Surgery, Professor Martin Smith said Bara Hospital plays a vital role in the healthcare of communities in Gauteng and its neighbouring provinces.
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“Burns are unfortunately a common component of our epidemic of trauma. The burns unit is a unique facility that serves as a referral centre for the treatment of severely burned patients. It also provides essential training for all healthcare professionals involved in the complex care of severely burned patients and important evidence to assist in advancing the modern management of patients,” said Professor Smith.
“This donation will greatly enhance each of these activities and improve access for many more patients. This donation is hugely appreciated by the Department of Surgery and all who work with burn patients.”
The unit will be named after its benefactor and will be called Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit
“The Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit is the start of realising our dream to establish a centre of excellence that will treat more patients and enhance research and training. One of our goals is to have a skin bank and tissue engineering laboratory where synthetic and skin tissue for wound cover can be developed. This will greatly enhance the unit’s capacity and also allow for research to be performed to enhance the science and treatment of burns,” said Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit director, Professor Adelin Muganza whose research interests include skin substitutes for burns injuries and new technologies.
The unit is regarded as the pre-eminent burns treatment facility in Africa and is jointly managed by Wits University and the Gauteng Department of Health.
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