Tygerberg Hospital is huge in size and has aged since it was built.

In terms of specialists in Neonatal & Paediatric healthcare, Tygerberg Hospital is staffed by superb individuals who teach at Stellenbosch University and who simultaneously hold critical roles at the hospital – their “practical” teaching facility.

In spite of this, the hospital has poor infrastructure and lacks a great deal of critical medical equipment – for children in particular.

This means that although the hospital has the specialists, it isn’t always able to provide them with the tools of their trade in order for them to treat certain complex cases.

To this end, the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust (CBMADT) devised the Cardiothoracic NICU & PICU project which entails the creation of a top-end ICU Unit together with the provision of equipment & cardiothoracic surgical instrumentation.

The idea has been to reinstate holistic Cardiothoracic services at Tygerberg Hospital for the many children that need the surgery and the peri-operative specialist intensive care that is required.

This is despite the fact CBMADT never populates its’ units with medical items until post-construction protocols have been followed.

Each and every one of our suppliers honoured their commitment to CBMADT’s work and delivered despite the sudden surge in worldwide demand for critical ICU equipment in addition to “holding” the preferential discounting that they award the CBMADT.

During the height of the pandemic, the neonatal & paediatric specialists at Tygerberg Hospital assessed approximately 20 children per day (excluding their accompanying family member/s) for the Coronavirus.

Not all children tested positive - but those that were and needed hospital admission, typically had co-morbidities, for example: TB + Coronavirus, HIV + Coronavirus, Cancer + Coronavirus.

The C-Mac Laryngoscope purchased by CBMADT for this project, was used on each and every child to intubate & check their lungs in the least invasive fashion known, whilst the ventilators, monitors and numerous other items were utilized to maximum capacity over this period.

The upshot of all this is that of the ± 300 hundred desperately ill children treated over the months at the hospital for Covid-19, every one of them survived.

On 27 October 2020, the Trust finally received authorization to proceed with the build of the new two-bed Cardiothoracic Neonatal & Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Tygerberg Hospital.

Thanks to Trust’s extraordinary partner specialist consultants together with our capital & material donors, we decided to build our project in six-weeks before Christmas day 2020.

The various teams have worked ceaselessly to complete this project despite the inherent perils of doing so during a pandemic.

The unprecedented goodwill and contribution by so many, cannot be overstated.

Hospital Design Group Company Representative: Rudolf Coetzee

The Neonatal & Paediatric Cardiothoracic ICU project is a great example of quality solutions that can be developed through a dedicated team (clinicians, consultants, contractors and client) considering constrained budgets, timelines and area.

We feel privileged for having been part of this team and our long-standing relationship with the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust.We believe that the end result will make a significant difference in countless children’s lives.

We hope that our small contribution in providing professional mechanical engineering consulting services on the project shall assist toward the efforts to make a real difference in children’s lives.

From ourselves as the quantity surveyors, we found it remarkable to experience the dedicated inputs from all role players, considering the project playing off in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The project was originally scheduled to start at the beginning of the year and had to be placed on hold until further notice. The final project green light was then only received in late October, which was substantially later than anyone could have expected, due to the unforeseen nature of the pandemic we found ourselves in.  Despite the longer than anticipated delay, we were requested to resubmit and adjust costing for expected increases due the changes in the working environment and elongated lapsed time. Upon reviewing the cost and taking into account the various sponsored items, we were happy to report back that most parties were willing and able to commit to proceed as per their original offers. This gave us great pleasure in being able to report back to the client, that the project would be able to continue without any significant increases in cost, which could stand testament to the entire team’s efforts to successfully complete the project.

“Our partnership with the Making a Difference team just makes sense,” says Andy Camphausen, who forms part of the business development advisory division of LIXIL Africa, the South African branch of international sanitaryware brand LIXIL. “Our ethics are fundamentally aligned: we’re both committed to playing our part in improving the lives of ordinary South Africans. Given our line of work, we know that we can do this in truly meaningful ways.”

When Making a Difference recently went back to Tygerberg Hospital to install a Cardiothoracic Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Cobra was all too happy to assist. Making a Difference’s work at Tygerberg dates back several years: in 2018, the Trust was responsible for installing the hospital’s very first dedicated paediatric operating theatre.

“We were proud to donate a medical basin mixer set for these critical intensive care units,” adds Camphausen. “Our country’s children deserve all the medical support they need, and we feel privileged to be helping to ensure that they live long and healthy lives. It’s been an honour working with Carte Blanche’s Making a Difference Trust and Tygerberg Hospital, and we’re pleased that they can rely on us to help them solve real-life challenges.”

Cobra forms part of LIXIL Africa, which in turn is part of LIXIL. LIXIL makes water and housing products that touch the lives of more than a billion people around the world every day.

In this project, and countless others, Cobra has shown that it is here for the people of South Africa, its youngest citizens included.

Polyflor South Africa has been supplying hospital and healthcare facilities with specialist vinyl flooring and wall protection solutions for over 30 years.  Our foundation is based on a strong family heritage and it is our duty to continue our legacy, give back to a country that needs us and make a difference where we can. We are proud South Africans to our core and believe in the power of ubuntu.

Modern healthcare design is about creating comfortable, calm environments that are as welcoming as they are practical, safe and hygienic. The right flooring meets all these criteria as well as having a positive effect on the atmosphere of a hospital and inspiring a sense of healing and wellbeing in patients, staff and visitors. We are established, authentic and ethical artisans who take great pride in our craft, embrace solid ethics and work hard to forge long term partnerships based on mutual respect and trust. We are a values-driven business and have entrenched these behaviours into the very core of our business, holding ourselves and each other accountable at all times. 

As we reflect on the year that has been, it is wonderful to end off a very tough year with a feel-good story.  We hope to make a lasting and tangible difference in the lives of a community where it is most needed. 

Since forming the fund, Daikin South Africa has supported a number of different charities and initiatives, and therefore when the Tygerberg Hospital Neonatal & Paediatric Cardiothoracic ICU project was put forward, we felt it was our obligation to investigate what we could do to support and “Make a Difference”. We are pleased to be able to play an important role in helping the Carte Blanche Trust to achieve its mandate of building Neonatal & Paediatric Operating Theatres, ICUs, High Care Wards and Burns Units in the public healthcare system on which the vast majority of critically ill children in South Africa are utterly dependent.

“We want to play our part, not only now, but in the future of our country and the people and this project are exactly in-line with this. " - Daikin South Africa, Marketing Manager, Miguel Netto.

On behalf of the entire Daikin South Africa family, we would like to thank M-Net’s Carte Blanche “Making a Difference” Trust and the extended Carte Blanche team for the work they are doing and for the opportunity to be involved in this special and needed initiative.

Pelican Systems aim is to provide a comprehensive range of products designed for the ceiling and partitioning specialist contractor.

We were approached by the architects at Hospital Design Group who have undertaken together with the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust to uplift the paediatric facilities and services for the Cardiothoracic NICU & PICU project at Tygerberg Hospital. 

Franke South Africa has a long history of expertise in providing sanitaryware and specialised stainless steel products to hospitals, clinics and environments where hygiene is of the highest priority. 

The Franke Group’s promise to customers first and foremost is to “Make it Wonderful”. This also includes taking accountability and accepting our duty to make a difference in our environment and society.  We were pleased to have been able to contribute towards this worthy project.  

Medical Gas Solutions Medical Gas Solutions, owned by Desmond and Valda Naude, decided to donate medical gas systems to the Tygerberg Paediatric Cardiology Unit as a result of the many open heart surgeries Desmond himself received at the hands of surgeons trained at Tygerberg hospital - which afforded him an active life.  “If our donation contributed to one child being able to lead a normal active life, then we believe our donation is well spent. We trust Tygerberg will continue contributing to enhance the lives of many more children. God bless everyone contributing to, or involved in, the Carte Blanche Making a Difference campaign” ~ Desmond & Valda Naude.

Edge to Edge are honoured and extremely proud to be part of this Cardiothoracic NICU & PICU project at Tygerberg Hospital. Our experienced site team have done their utmost to produce a 1st class finish for your facility within the tight project time-line.

Thank you Carte Blanche and all on board for this outstanding initiative.

As a local manufacturer of door locks and hardware and other security products, we were extremely enthusiastic to support a project as important as this one, and were very pleased to provide products like our UNION commercial locks, UNION door furniture and overhead door closers.

Hospitals have very specific requirements, and with our history of working with both private and public hospitals, we were able to meet the Department of Health’s needs. Extremely robust door furniture is required to manage the tough conditions that doors can face in any medical area – mobile beds, trolleys, and high traffic from multiple patients and visitors need high specification door hardware. The UNION door handles meet those needs.

Healthcare units also have far higher specifications for hygiene and cleanliness. Concealed double-acting overhead door closers reduce the contamination risk that can arise from traditional floor springs, and the ASSA ABLOY door closers offer a highly pleasing aesthetic as well as a hardy door opening and closing mechanism.

We would like to thank Carte Blanche and Hospital Design Group for the opportunity to work with them on this amazing initiative to save lives through the upgrade of paediatric theatres, ICUs and high care wards around South Africa.

We are proud of our ability to assist in providing patients with the privacy that they need and which our product creates.