MONTECASINO BRINGS CHRISTMAS CHEER TO CARDIAC CHILDREN

For the children of the Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa (WSPCCA), 8 December was a day to remember as Montecasino treated them to an afternoon of fun.

The Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa (WSPCCA), situated at Netcare’s Sunninghill Hospital, Johannesburg is a dedicated paediatric cardiac intensive care unit, and was established in 2003 by Dr. Robin Kinsley with the aim of offering the best and effective corrective cardiac procedures to the underprivileged children of Africa.

Bringing some cheer to their Christmas, Montecasino hosted a Christmas party for the children of the WSPCCA at Spur at Montecasino. After a fun-filled lunch with special entertainment in the form of face-painters, the children were treated to some action-packed fun at The Magic Company, where they got to experience all the rides and games. 

It wouldn’t be Christmas without presents and Montecasino, under guise of Father Christmas, presented the WSPCCA with a special gift for each of the children.

“Many of the children under care of the WSPCCA are underprivileged and it gave our staff at Montecasino great pleasure to be able to present gifts that are sure to bring a smile to the faces of children in need of some Christmas cheer. I am delighted to have been able to give these children an experience which will bring a happy ending to their year and create a lasting memory for them into the future,” says Steve Howell, General Manager of Montecasino.

The Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa (WSPCCA)
The WSPCCA, situated within Netcare’s Sunninghill Hospital, Johannesburg is a 16-bedded dedicated paediatric cardiac intensive care unit and was established in 2003 by Dr. Robin Kingsley.

Previously head of department at Witwatersrand University, Dr Kinsley was struck by the fact that paediatric cardiac surgery in Africa has long been a luxury available to only a privileged few, which meant that, for all intents and purposes, entire populations have been excluded from treatment for a correctable medical condition. Fewer than 30% of South African children and less than 1% of children throughout Africa benefit from these life saving operations. The rest die.

Ironically, 95% of heart defects in babies and young children can be successfully treated. The WSPCCA came into being to address this inequality and to give hope to the cardiac children in both SA and Africa at large.

Nelson Mandela said in his address at the opening of the WSPCCA: “The Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa is an initiative that deserves the support of all of us - private and corporate. The centre needs financial as well as moral support. I trust that the private sector shall respond as generously in support of this centre as I have always found them to do when I called upon them for support.”

The WSPCCA has three objectives: firstly, to secure life saving heart operations for babies and children whose families cannot afford this vital surgery or whose medical cover is insufficient, secondly to train doctors, empowering them and broadening their service to communities across Africa, and thirdly, to ensure active involvement in research, as congenital cardiac surgery on the African continent is virtually non-existent except for in South Africa and Egypt.

For further details on Montecasino involvement in such initiatives, please visit www.montecasino.co.za.  

 ISSUED ON BEHALF OF MONTECASINO BY STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT JENÉ GODFREY ON 082 459 8553 or jene@stratpr.co.za.