PARTNERS IN HEALING: WITS AND GAUTENG HEALTH DEPT LAUNCH ADVANCED BURNS UNIT AT BARAGWANATH HOSPITAL

Written By: Lebohang Ndashe

On 26 August, The Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto officially opened its new wing of the Burns Unit – courtesy of Wits University, Roy McAlpine Charitable Foundation and the Gauteng Department of Health’s total investment of R100 million.

The grand opening was officiated by Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoku accompanied by Wits University’s Vice-chancellor and Principal Professor Zeblon Vilakazi.

Gauteng health and wellness MMC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoku, and Wits’s vice-chancellor Zebulon Vilakazi officially opening the burns unit at Baragwanath hospital

A generous R100 million donation has facilitated a major expansion of the unit, enhancing its capacity to treat a greater number of burn patients.

As the only public specialized Burns Unit in Gauteng, it provides critical care to underserved patients, with a growing need for expansion due to referrals from across South Africa.

The enhanced unit features a state-of-the-art recovery room, modern outpatient facility, and a comprehensive rehabilitation center with dedicated spaces for physio, speech, and occupational therapies.

The new advanced burns unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic hospital

The unit’s upgrade includes an increased office capacity, plus a reserved space for the development of an education, research, and innovation center, and a state-of-the-art skin substitutes lab.

The expansion paves the way for the establishment of a skin bank and tissue engineering lab, where innovative wound coverage solutions, including synthetic and biological skin substitutes, can be developed.