 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Islamic Television (ITV) Networks will host a four hour live pledge on Sunday 26 June to raise the final funds needed to build a bigger and better paediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
Starting at 09h30 and ending at 14h00, the live pledge on DSTV’s channel 347 will encourage viewers to help the Children’s Hospital Trust raise the final R10 million needed for the R100 million-plus upgrade and expansion of the unit. It will be presented by Moulana Zakariya Philander and will feature guests from the Children’s Hospital Trust and prominent leaders from the community.
With a dire shortage of paediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in Africa, a R100 million-plus expansion and upgrade of the Paediatric ICU (PICU) at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital will significantly improve intensive care services delivered to critically ill and injured children. Capacity will also be greatly increased, addressing the desperate need for more beds to treat some of the country’s sickest little patients.Currently the 22-bed PICU at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital is the largest ICU for children in Africa. It provides emergency care for critically ill or injured children from within the Western Cape, the rest of South Africa and the African continent. The demand is driven by the increases in surgery requirements and escalations in detection of serious illnesses. In essence, the demands on this unit are higher than its capacity to deliver.
With the lion-share of funding already secured for the building of this life-saving unit, the Children’s Hospital Trust – the official fundraisers for the Red Cross Children’s Hospital – have appealed to the public to help raise the final R10 million for the building between March and June. To date, they have raised R5.6 million.
“It costs between R8000 and R10 000 for a child to spend just one night in ICU. By donating just a little bit, you can truly save a life. During this pledge on ITV, we are appealing to viewers to help us raise the last R4.4 million, to see this dream, of a bigger and better ICU at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, realised,” says Louise Driver, CEO of the Children’s Hospital Trust.
Construction on the unit began in October 2015 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. The 22-bed facility will increase to 39 bed spaces, and will include an urgently needed 10-bed High Care Neonatal Unit as well as isolation cubicles. The high care unit and the isolation cubicles will ensure optimal treatment through better infection control, which is critical in ICU.
The expansion and upgrade will also create more comfortable and supportive spaces for parents as well as breastfeeding mothers. Currently, family members have no privacy or space between life-saving equipment as they sit vigil at their child’s side around the clock. Increased space will also mean that staff, who work very relentlessly long hours saving lives in tough conditions, will have adequate support facilities.
The ITV pledge will extend over four hours, in two hour segments, where viewers will be encouraged to make their pledge on the advertised pledge number. Each segment will feature a number of special guests and sponsors, who will engage with callers.
Help the Children’s Hospital Trust and ITV give childhood back.
You can already SMS your name and pledge amount to 072 674 4101 or SMS ICU to 40465 to donate R20*. Visit childrenshospitaltrust.org.za for more information on the Children’s Hospital Trust.
*Network & Admin fees apply
Leave a Reply