MARICELLE BOTHA
Plans for the construction of the first mother-and-child hospital in the country and the second in Africa has just been announced. The hospital which will form part of Universitas Academic hospital in Bloemfontein will exclusively be mother, child and parent friendly.
Around 4.6 hectares of the land belonging to the University of the Free State have already been allocated. Head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Care, prof. Andre Venter says this has been a long-time dream of his department.
Currently the Department of Paediatrics serves over 250 000 children of the southern regions of the Free State at secondary care level, and is responsible for the tertiary care of nearly one million children from the Free State and Northern Cape povinces, as well as some children from North West, Eastern Cape and Lesotho.
