Wits University has opened its new Roy McAlpine Burns Unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital – which has the only public burns unit in the province, established in the early 90s – built at a cost of R100m.
The unit also features a brand new theatre and a state-of-the-art teaching lab, as well as an additional six adult beds, bringing the total to 12, and four more paediatric beds, increasing the count to 11.
The Roy McAlpine Foundation donated R70m to fund the project, while the rest of the money came from the university, reports News24.
Professor Adelin Muganza, head of the unit, said the new addition was going to be of tremendous help in solving their problems.
"Our challenges have been a limited number of beds, especially in the ICU, and we previously had limited time for operations, and some delays in surgery because of the high volume of patients.”
Over the years, the unit has provided services to more than 30 000 patients and performed more than 40 000 burn-related procedures, he added
Representing the Foundation, Annah McAlpine said the existing unit’s facilities were stretched beyond capacity.
“It’s a sad reality that there continue to be burns victims … not only because of suboptimal living conditions, but also through tragic accidents and even lightning strikes. But here, at last, is a world-class facility that provides every care and treatment possible.
“It will also provide much-needed opportunities for academic and professional development,” she said.
Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the work of the unit had been “remarkable” since its establishment in the early 1990s.
“As the only public, specialised burns unit in the province, it serves as a critical referral centre, with plus or minus 700 patients, comprising adults and children, receiving specialised care annually and, as such, heightening the need for the extension of the facility,” she said.
Scotland-born Roy McAlpine, a chartered accountant who helped to build the Donald Gordon Medical Centre at Wits, was the head of Liberty Asset Management until he retired in 1998 at 70.
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