Eerste River Hospital is a district hospital located in the Khayelitsha Eastern Sub-Structure of the Western Cape Department of Health. The hospital provides a comprehensive range of medical services to people in the Eerste Rivier, Macassar, Delft, Mfuleni, Kleinvlei and surrounding communities. The hospital has a 124 bed capacity with inpatient wards for surgery, medicine, paediatrics and psychiatry. The Emergency Centre treats an average of 1733 patients each month while 3419 clients are seen in our outpatient clinics. It is however the surgical services that make Eerste River Hospital exceptional. Last year the hospital performed 5781 surgical procedures, with shorter waiting times for elective surgeries than Tygerberg Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital. The range of services includes cataract operations, laparoscopic surgery and even urology.

Unfortunately these remarkable surgical outputs are being hampered by ageing equipment. The anaesthetic machines are over 12 years old and problems are commonplace. Recent problems include machine leaks, and makeshift monitors being used to observe patients. The result is that anaesthetists are unwilling to perform complicated procedures leading to a decline in surgical output. Similarly, their laparoscopic equipment is rapidly approaching antique status, it breaks down regularly, and even when functioning optimally it does not offer the visualisation found with more modern sets. The results are that the quality of work suffers (they are unable to visualise cancers that they might have seen with better equipment), and visiting surgeons are unwilling to use their equipment, once again leading to a decline in surgical output. This argument can be made for almost every piece of equipment in their theatres. Despite these challenges staff commitment, talent and ingenuity has allowed them to continue to provide an exceptional surgical service.

We have taken it upon ourselves to assist this hospital in need, the wish list of surgical equipment needed amounts to R2 million. By providing the new equipment, we will allow for the following: Immediate increase in surgical output- more laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures,  improved patient safety under anaesthetic, improved response to clinical emergencies, a redesigned recovery area for our post-op patients, and most importantly, immediate improvement in quality patient care.

On the 29th of January 2014 we handed over a Laparoscopic Stack to the value of R800 000 to the Eerste River Hospital. On the 14th November 2014 our Foundation handed over additional equipment to the value of R800 000 bringing the total donation to R1 600 000. The surgical equipment donated will assist surgeons in performing thousands of  successful surgeries ever year.