Surgeons for Little lives launched in 2015 with the specific intention to give exceptional care the children need, especially the paediatrics burns unit at Bara hospital. On the 27th May 2025 the 26 million unit was launched with medical health and donor stakeholders in attendance. In her welcoming remarks Adelle Wapnick, Board member and MC for the day, acknowledged all the participants who gave their skills and expertise in making the refurbishments possible. “All in the good cause for our children”
According to Professor Jerome Loveland chairperson of Surgeons for Little Lives “the unit is extended with a new Intensive Care Unit with 24-hour emergency staff. And support structure almost double in capacity, including wards facilities as well as rehabilitation facilities, including an additional operation theatre complimenting the one that has been operational. Thanks to our partners and donors!” He further mentioned that “there were many children that needed care and the burns unit at Bara was top class but we were inspired to take it further.”
The burnt children’s ward and state of the arts equipment has been a satisfactory sight with the capacity to treat injured children and giving proper and best recovery care. In conversing with the nursing sisters one factor came to everyone’s attention that, when a child gets burned at home, who must take the blame? Looking at the many activities that everyone at home gets preoccupied with, just at an instant moment where other the kids and the mother looks away, then the toddler pulls the pot or kettle from the stove and it falls over and burns them.
Allegedly, a that large percentage of the children in the ward are from neighbouring countries. One can just imagine the type of homes they come from in communities, mainly due to constrained space, where appliances are connected at one power source, and many activities done mostly in one room. But the young children are well taken of, with specialised treatment, the recovery is tremendous. After they get discharged they come in for monitoring as out-patients. While there is a burns clinic in the hospital, the discharged children only come through to the burns ward for thorough monitoring until full recovery.
During the walkabouts by the management team on presenting the wards the visitors got a peek at the refurbishments that are child friendly with animal and storybook motifs on the walls of the burns dressing room, bright colour patterns on floor and mosaics walls. The wards are made to have a clear view for medical staff for effective monitoring of patients at any moment.
In her keynote address, acting CEO Doctor Nomonde Mqhayi-Mbambo related that “we are grateful for the interventions that assist the health department, as part of the departments’ vision is to transform us to enable us to render services effectively. It is mainly a responsive, innovative and sustainable healthcare system delivering people centred quality care. Our mission is to transform the health care system by delivering high quality, safe and accessible health services through integrated team based care enabled by digital e-Health solutions and a motivated workforce. Our commitment now lies on how to educate our communities on how to prevent burns in households.”
Jerry Sokhupe
Soweto Sunrise News
