Thanks to a R9.5m donation from the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation, the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) in Gauteng has opened its newly upgraded liver transplant unit (Area 561).
The liver transplant unit at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital received a major upgrade following a R9.5m donation from the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation. Image supplied.
Major advancement
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital is one of South Africa’s largest public tertiary and academic hospitals. It serves as the primary referral centre for complex care across Gauteng while functioning as the main teaching platform for the University of the Witwatersrand. It is the only public hospital in Gauteng equipped to perform both liver and kidney transplants. The hospital’s kidney transplant service supports patients from multiple Gauteng facilities and receives referrals from the Limpopo and North West provinces. Demand for liver transplants at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital is particularly high because no other public-sector facility in the province offers the procedure.
The unit also supports other solid-organ transplant programmes, including bone marrow.
The unit’s improvements include:
- Installation of new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment to establish a positive-pressure environment in isolation cubicles.
- Replacement of the intercom system to enable family communication with patients.
- Upgraded ablution facilities.
- New nurses’ station.
- Staff lockers and repairs to the staff kitchen.
- Repair of vinyl flooring.
- Installation of fire doors and fire-resistant partitioning.
- New smoke extraction system.
- Sealing of ceiling openings with lightweight concrete blocks to create a fireproof barrier.
“This upgrade represents a major step forward in our ability to deliver world-class transplant care to public-sector patients who previously had limited options,” said Gladys Bogoshi, CEO of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. “We are deeply grateful to the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation for their generous support and longstanding partnership. “The new facilities will improve infection control, patient safety and staff working conditions, ultimately saving more lives.”
