Answering the call

According to Sibongile Mkhabela, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust, the need for a tertiary paediatric hospital in South Africa is greater than ever and can no longer be ignored … Engen Petroleum answered this call by contributing R4 million towards the building of a new facility in Johannesburg that will carry Madiba’s name.

Datuk Nizam Salleh, managing director and CEO of Engen, says that the African energy company is humbled to contribute towards the building of the specialist paediatric facility which, once completed, will be one of only five dedicated children’s hospitals on the continent.

Mkhabela points out: “Africa carries a disproportionately high paediatric disease burden. Unfortunately, this has not been met with an increase in paediatric healthcare capacity. The continent continues to lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to taking care of our children. The need for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, and the level of care it will provide, is now even greater.”

She adds that, while progress is being made in children’s healthcare, it isn’t happening quickly enough. “Thousands of children die unnecessarily every day in Africa. This new facility will provide the opportunity to start addressing these issues and to contribute meaningfully to paediatric care in Africa.”

Engen’s R4-million donation will be used to build the paediatric surgical wards and to facilitate the provision of medical, surgical and nursing care for children across the continent.

Salleh states: “Ensuring that every single child on the continent has access to effective health care is something Madiba has long dreamed about. Engen shares his sentiment. This has made it easy for us to pledge our support to help bring his vision to fruition.”