Bara gets new burn unit

Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko says the opening of a new wing extension of the Wits Roy McAlpine Burns Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, will enhance the hospital’s capacity to manage the growing number of burn patients.

More than 700 patients with burn wounds are admitted at the unit annually.

Nkomo-Ralehoko says the facility is a timely addition, as the hospital often receives a high volume of patients with burn wounds or related complications.

The MEC has welcomed the burns unit as a relief for the provincial department, as Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital treats a large majority of patients with burn wounds, and the new facility will enhance their care and treatment.

“It is going to help patients of Gauteng because quite a number of people have been involved in incidents or being burned. Even yesterday, here at Bara we admitted two patients that were coming from that incident that took place at Jeppestown.”

“Remember during Marshalltown [building fire], we had a number of people that we had to take to Baragwanath. It is really going to help us because there are going to be additional beds that will be used,” she adds.

The facility is also expected to benefit other patients from different parts of the African continent.

Wits University Vice Chancellor Zebulon Vilakazi elaborates, “This is the first unit of its kind in Gauteng and certainly it is the state of the art private and public partnership involving donations of R70 million with the counter funding of R30 million. Making it a R100-million investment in this specialised burns unit.”

“It is providing first class treatment for burn patients not only from this city but certainly it will serve the whole region. I see it getting referrals from specialists from across the region, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. So, it is crucial to have such a unit in the public sector,” explains Vilakazi.

The head of the unit at the hospital, Adelin Muganza, says previously there were challenges dealing patients at the hospital.

“We had a problem before because we had a limited number of beds. In terms of ICU and limited time in terms of operating patients. We don’t want to delay the operation of patients because if they delay, they end up developing infections and they get complications.”

“Our advantage now is that we are going to double the beds and we now have two theatres dedicated to burns,” adds Muganza.

The facility has twelve new ICU beds, new rehabilitation centre and a research department amongst others.