To help 200 kidney transplant patients remain hopeful with their journey, the Gauteng Department of Health joined forces with First Rand Empowerment Foundation and opened the renovated Area 561, a dedicated Transplant Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital on February 19.
The care unit is an integral step towards establishing a sustainable public-sector liver transplant programme in Gauteng, to address the gap that has left unfunded patients reliant on private-sector access to life-saving organs.
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The hospital’s CEO, Gladys Bogoshi, expressed her gratitude to the foundation for the upgrade and betterment of the Transplant ICU.
Mkhulu Selepe, COO of Health and Wellness in Gauteng, said, “Reducing waiting times and addressing backlogs has been a priority, and upgrading Area 561 into a dedicated Transplant ICU and high-care unit is a strategic step towards ensuring equitable organ transplantation, and re-establishing a public-sector liver transplant programme for vulnerable communities.”
The foundation’s marketing representative, Kone Gugushe, said the entity was grateful to have contributed as donors towards the hospital’s new care unit.
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