To celebrate 20 years on air in 2008, Carte Blanche launched the Making A Difference Trust to raise funds for specialised paediatric units in selected state hospitals and several welfare organisations across South Africa. The Trust has undertaken major paediatric ward revitalisation and capital-building and equipping projects around the country - at two sites in Johannesburg, two in Pretoria, one each in Bloemfontein, Sebokeng, Kimberly, East London, Ngwelezana, Cape Town and Durban.
TYGERBERG HOSPITAL
The Carte Blanche Trust formally handed over Phases I & II Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units at Tygerberg Hospital in the Western Cape. These projects comprised the construction and equipping of two specialised facilities, one being the creation of a Cardiothoracic ICU and the second, an Isolation ICU. This hospital attends to over 50 percent of the most critically ill children in the Western Cape. Further to this, and thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, the Trust has just ordered a child-friendly ultrasound machine to assist in the visualisation of the placement of intravenous lines. The specialised surgical instrumentation purchased by the Trust has enabled the reinstatement of cardiothoracic surgical services at the hospital.
THE YEAR AHEAD
Ngwelezana Hospital in KZN is the only hospital within the uMhlathuze Municipality to offer district, regional and specialist services and also tends to referrals from 18 district hospitals in Region 4. With a principal donation from South32’s Hillside Aluminium, the Carte Blanche Trust built a 22-bed Paediatric Burns Unit in 2019. The Carte Blanche Trust is set to expand on this project by building a new Paediatric Burns Outpatient Department in 2023. This will cater to the long-term clinical requirements of burns patients and treat eight to ten children per day.
With two projects completed at Sebokeng Hospital in Gauteng, the Carte Blanche Trust is embarking on a major project to create a dedicated Paediatric Emergency Unit at this hospital. This shall serve to alleviate the pressure of referring children for emergency treatment to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital some 53 kilometres away. It is anticipated that this project will bear an impact in reducing morbidity and mortality of children in the Sedibeng Region.