Dedicated neonatal and paediatric operating theatre officially opened

An Aspen Pharmacare initiative.

Aspen has taken hands with the Carte Blanche Making a Difference (MAD) Trust and has become a contributor to help establish a dedicated neonatal and paediatric operating theatre at the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital in Cape Town.

At the official opening on 13 April 2018, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape MEC for Health, thanked the Carte Blanche MAD Trust as well as all donors for their contribution to the establishment of the theatre.

Dr Mbombo said, “This operating theatre allows us in the public health sector to provide quality health services to those who desperately need it. Our paediatric patients will now enjoy state of the art treatment in this wonderful facility. We would not have been able to do so without our partnership with the Trust and their donors”.

Stephen Saad, Aspen Group Chief Executive said, “We are privileged to be an active partner in assisting to provide improved healthcare facilities for those communities who need it most. The dedicated operating theatre aligns closely to our ethos of caring for patients throughout all stages of life.”

The operating theatre, valued at R5.4 million, will provide surgical treatment to more than 980 children annually.

While the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital forms part of the greater Tygerberg Hospital, prior to April 2018 new-born babies and older children had limited access to theatre time as they shared theatre space with adults. The existing theatres dealt with a broad range of cases ranging from adult trauma and septic emergency cases to babies requiring surgery.

As the largest hospital in the Western Cape and the second largest hospital in South Africa, Tygerberg is also a teaching hospital in conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch’s Health Science Faculty.

Caption: George Mazarakis, Carte Blanche’s Executive Producer with Aspen’s Jackie Tau at the official opening.