Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital

Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the largest hospital in Africa.  It has 6,760 staff members, 3,400 beds and occupies .  The hospital is located in the Soweto area south of Johannesburg.  It is one of the 40 Gauteng provincial hospitals, and is financed and managed by the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health.  It is a teaching hospital for the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, along with the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Helen Joseph Hospital and the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. 

History

The Imperial Military Hospital, Baragwanath, was built in what today is Diepkloof in 1942 for convalescing British and Commonwealth soldiers.  Field Marshal Jan Smuts noted during the opening ceremonies that the facility would be used for the area's black population after the war.  In 1947 King George VI visited and presented medals to the troops there.  From this start grew Baragwanath Hospital (as it became known after 1948), reputedly the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere.  In 1997 another name change followed, with the sprawling facility now known as Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in honour of the South African Communist Party leader who was assassinated in 1993. 

Daily admissions

More than two thousand patients check into the hospital's specialised clinics and out-patient departments daily, from catchment areas as far as Klerksdorp. 

See also
List of hospitals in South Africa

References

External links

 Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Website
 University of Witwatersrand. 
 Just Another Day at the World's Biggest Hospital on NPR's All Things Considered, 1 December 2003.  Includes an audio report and a flash presentation. 
 Baragwanath History in South Africa: The Baragwanath family history in South Africa. 
 24 hours of trauma TV documentary on the trauma unit by Aljazeera English.  9 January 2009. 

Category:Hospital buildings completed in 1941
Category:1941 establishments in South Africa
Category:Buildings and structures in Johannesburg
Category:Teaching hospitals in South Africa
Category:Buildings and structures in Soweto
Category:Hospitals established in 1941
Category:University of the Witwatersrand
Category:Hospitals in Johannesburg