7 February 2005

Business and government are teaming up to establish Africa's first dedicated hand surgery complex at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.

Once complete, the unit will comprise two hand theatres, therapy areas for physiotherapy and occupational therapy, out patient rooms, X-ray facilities, an administration section, wards for hand surgery patients, and a dispensary.

The Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is the largest referral centre for hand surgery in South Africa, conducting about 120 operations a month.

In 1976, the hospital became the first in the world to successfully conduct a hand re-plantation operation. It has also pioneered hand reconstruction in cases of congenital deformities in children.

Leading mining and engineering companies - including Impala Platinum, Anglo American, Gold Fields, African Rainbow Minerals and Scaw Metals Group - will inject over R5.3-million into the project, while the Gauteng Health Department will provide trained staff, equipment and donations in kind.

Speaking at a sod-turning ceremony on Friday, Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa said the government believed in public-private partnerships "because they bring concrete benefits to people in their everyday lives.

"Through public-private partnership we have managed to establish the burns and cardiology units in this very same hospital", Ramokgopa said.

Douglas Ramaphosa of the Anglo American Chairman's Fund said the unit would enhance the reputation of the hospital as a world-class facility, adding that Chris Hani Baragwanath had a special place in the hearts of thousands of people throughout the world "who have either come here to work or for treatment.

"This project is important for us because there are lots of injuries in the workplace, and despite our zero tolerance attitude to accidents at work, they still occur - especially hand injuries."

Head of hand surgery at the hospital, Dr Walter Stuart, said the new unit would "make it possible for us to dramatically improve our existing service to state patients, and extend this service to insured private patients, which will generate funds for the unit - in turn maintaining the service for those who cannot afford to pay".

SouthAfrica.info reporter

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