Our children are our future
The official opening of the Paediatric Step-down Facility and Mother's Lodge at the Far East Rand Hospital on Wednesday was a celebration of the mothers and children who will be living there.
The two facilities were put in place to house and provide a supportive environment for children without family support and for mothers and their babies who cannot afford to commute to and from the hospital daily when the babies are admitted to the hospital for long periods of time.
The MEC for Health in Gauteng, Hope Papo, attended the event and handed the facilities over to FERH CEO Dr Lekopane Mogaladi and then was shown around the houses while the mothers living in the Mother’s Lodge sang and danced in appreciation.
The renovations of the buildings were made possible by Lonmin, who visited the building where mothers had to sleep on the floor without much insulation in the room.
Lonmin saw the opportunity to make a difference in the community and provided the financial support to create the haven that is now in place.
In her address to staff of the hospital, the MEC and guests of the event, Lonmin senior manager Dr Marie Vermaak said, “It is fitting that this project focuses on mothers and children as we approach Women’s Month in August. Lonmin acknowledges and supports the role of mothers and women in our society and we are happy to be able to assist the women of the communities served by FERH.”
Dr Mogaladi thanked Lonmin and the Gauteng Department of Health for making the renovations possible.
“We accept this facility with humility,” he said.
In his keynote address, MEC Papo spoke of how the mortality rate of infants is a concern in the province and the country and that the department are working with the hospital in creating these facilities to curb this problem.
The Mother’s Lodge, which has 18 beds, has provided the mothers living there with skills development and medical attention for those mothers who are also ill.
The Paediatric Step-down Facility was dedicated to Divhani Rasanova. She was a 14-year-old girl living with HIV/Aids who had spent most of her life in and out of hospitals.
The facility, a place where children could grow up outside a hospital and not be constantly surrounded by sick and suffering people, was a dream of hers.
Divhani was at several of the meetings and saw the plans for the facility, but died before she could see it completed.
“We offer these children a homely environment, medical care and lots of love until they are ready to be moved back to a permanent home,” said FERH social worker Jacobé Botha.
