Feature: FHS

A living legacy

WITSReview caught up with the hospital’s current CEO, Dr Nonkululeko Boikhutso (MBBCh 2005, MM 2012), who has been at the hospital since its inception, initially as its clinical manager. She has shared in media interviews that she is the only child of a single mother and was raised in Soweto.

Her passion for public health was sparked by two traumatic events in her childhood. When she was nine years old, she was in the Johannesburg CBD with her mother when she was injured in a bomb blast. A few years later, at age 14, she was diagnosed with an ovarian germ cell tumour. On both occasions, she was treated in public hospitals.

Dr Boikhutso received her Fellowship in Public Health Medicine in 2012 and worked at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital as a clinical manager responsible for mother and child services. “I worked with Prof Peter Cooper (PhD 1999) and Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng (former clinical director) who supported me through the management journey. When some of the paediatricians started leaving for the NMCH my interest was piqued," she says.

What makes the NMC hospital special?

The origins of the hospital are truly what make it special. It was Mr Mandela’s dream inspired by the loss of a child, Lindokuhle Mkhabela. Lindokuhle was the son of the former CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Dr Sibongile Mkhabela. His young life inspired this investment for the children of South Africa and broader Southern African community. The hospital was built through the collaboration of civil society organisations, institutions of higher learning, corporate sponsors, international donors and is now being run with government support. It is an example of what collaboration can achieve to improve the lives of children on the continent. Most importantly, the hospital is equipped with some of the best medical technology available and specialist staff who provide quality care.

Could you outline what the partnership between the hospital and the University entails? Any challenges/benefits you've encountered?

Many of the former academic and clinical staff from the University were part of the steering committees who advised on the direction the hospital should take and the services which should be provided.

The hospital and the University signed a memorandum of understanding in 2021 to cement this long-standing partnership which will now be carried through the operational and academic aspects of the hospital. The greatest advantage in having academic partners is that the work that we do in the hospital is informed by the latest evidence in the field, our credibility is boosted and there is a network of academics and clinicians which the staff can be part of to support continuous professional development.

What's the favourite part of your job as CEO? Least favourite?

The best part of the job for me is when I hear the testimonials from parents whose children have received care and some of the cutting-edge work being done by the specialists. My least favourite is probably having to be the “face” of the hospital as I am a private person but it’s part of the job and I will learn to love it too in time.

What are your memories as student at Wits?

The most vivid memories are the excursion we did as medical students to Tintswalo Hospital in Bushbuckridge and Elim Hospital in Limpopo. My experience of these settings and some of the resource constraints that existed motivated me to study public health medicine instead of paediatric surgery, which was my initial plan. Interestingly though my most influencing lecturers were the general surgeons. I absolutely loved being in theatre at any and every opportunity I got as a student.

Over the next five years Dr Boikhutso is determined to build partnerships with other children’s hospitals, such as the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, the CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda and Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in the US. There are also plans to focus on greening efforts with the aim of saving water and electricity at the state-of-the-art facility to ensure its environmental sustainability for generations to come.

The Neonatal ICU offiers specialised care for the severly ill child from ages 0-6 weeks.