Durban – A R60m upgrade at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital by humanitarian aid Gift of the Givers, will open on today (Thursday).
According to the director Imtiaz Sooliman the fire in the stores section of the hospital caused a huge setback in one of the most significant health facilities in South Africa.
“That very fateful day Gift of the Givers funded private ambulances to move patients from the paediatric ICU to neighbouring hospitals, little realising that the damage was so significant that 25 months later much has yet to be done to repair and refurbish many blocks within the hospital,” Sooliman said.
He said Gift of the Givers opted to develop a new stores facility.
“Fortunately, a disused nurses dining room was identified on the premises and our architects and engineers went to work.”
Sooliman said the Gauteng Department of Health, hospital management and Department of Public Works were aware of the plans and approved them immediately.
“Construction teams went to work adhering to strict protocols especially regulations related to fire safety which turned out to be a very expensive aspect of the building development and R60m went towards a 3 000m² masterpiece, making it the largest medical stores facility in South Africa, is ready for handover.”
The National Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko are expected to attend the opening ceremony and ribbon cutting.
According to a report released in April this year the fire was declared an act of arson.
Sooliman said the Gift of the Givers health initiatives gained momentum in South Africa during Covid-19 in 2020.
“We assisted 210 hospitals nationally including several in Gauteng with PPE’s (personal protective equipment), scrubs, coveralls, surgical gowns, intubation boxes, high flow nasal oxygen and CPAP machines, video laryngoscopes, mobile Covid-19 testing sites and triage tents.
“We upgraded the NICD building, established boreholes at Rahima Moosa and Helen Joseph Hospital with filtration systems, and assisted Tambo Memorial Hospital with the Boksburg tanker explosion.”
Sooliman said the Gift of the Givers health initiatives in South Africa including catch-up surgery, is ongoing.
IOL