Newly renovated paediatric burns unit at Baragwanath Hospital a ‘huge boost'

Daily Maverick

22-04-2025

A newly renovated paediatric burns unit has been launched at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, as part of an effort to improve the care and treatment outcomes for young surgical and burns patients.
The state-of-the-art unit, opened on 27 March, was renovated using a R26-million donation from the nonprofit Surgeons for Little Lives, in partnership with the Wells Foundation.
Dr Nirav Patel, a director at Surgeons for Little Lives and paediatric surgeon at Baragwanath, said that the improvements had nearly doubled the intensive care unit [ICU] capacity for burns patients from six to 11 beds.
'Our capacity is very important because we're one of only two paediatric burns referral centres in the country. We often get referred the sickest burns patients,' he explained.
'Part of the charity [Surgeons for Little Lives] is that we want to make things better at the hospital. We want to make things better for the children that we serve. We all think that it's a privilege to be able to work here… To be able to work in this environment and treat the patients that come here. It really is an honour.'
The country's only other state paediatric burns unit is at Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town.
Revamping patient care
The facilities at the burns unit have been revamped, resulting in increased bed capacity in the general ward and a 'more child-friendly environment', said Patel.
Other outcomes of the renovations include:
An improved flow within the unit to minimise the risk of acquired hospital infections;
Improved dressing rooms and wards;
Space provided for rehabilitative services, such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy; and
The provision of public restroom facilities.
'It's also a much more work-friendly environment for the people that have to work there, because for the doctors, nurses and allied staff, it's actually quite a traumatic place to work because you're dealing with young children with severe injuries, mostly preventable, with overall higher mortality rates than other children that are admitted,' said Patel.
Professor Jerome Loveland, head of solid organ transplantation at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre and chairperson of Surgeons for Little Lives, described the renovated unit as a 'beacon of hope' for the children and families who rely on it for care.
'Burns are one of the leading causes of trauma among children and this unit will play a crucial role in saving lives and improving recovery outcomes… This is a vital development for the broader community and we are incredibly proud to be part of it,' he said at a press release issued by Surgeons for Little Lives.
The upgraded ICU capacity and the introduction of rehabilitative services stand to 'drastically improve' the long-term care and recovery of children who have suffered burns, according to Professor Adelin Muganza, general surgeon and director of the burns unit at Baragwanath.
Combating burn injuries
Paediatric burns are a 'massive public health problem' all over South Africa, according to Patel. Baragwanath admits between 500 and 600 children for burn injuries every year.
'Sometimes the unit is full, so you will see a child in casualty that you'd normally admit… We see about 300 or 400 of them in casualty [each year],' he said.
'That's only data for Baragwanath, that's not telling you the number of children that are being burnt and treated at local clinics or at regional hospitals… It's also important to note that paediatric burns are largely preventable. It's a disease that occurs because of other problems. It's not necessarily a disease that has to happen,' he said.
Surgeons for Little Lives is not only attempting to improve the treatment of burns, but also the prevention of these injuries, continued Patel.
'For the past four years, we've had quite an extensive education-based paediatric burns prevention programme running throughout Gauteng province… We employ community healthcare workers to go to clinics. We develop material so that we can educate mothers on the risk of burns in their children, in the hopes that by giving them this message, we will decrease the number of burns that we have to treat,' he said.
'It's not just about providing an improved quality of service in the hospital. It's also about trying to decrease the demand for a service for a preventable injury.' DM