Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital

Parents of sick children and premature babies hospitalised at Soweto's Bara hospital can rest and regroup in a specially designed family room. Having a parent nearby has been found to help a sick child heal more quickly.

Parents of sick children and premature babies hospitalised at Soweto's Bara hospital can rest and regroup in a specially designed family room. Having a parent nearby has been found to help a sick child heal more quickly.

Pressure has been eased on Soweto's massive Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital with the opening of the Zola-Jabulani District Hospital, a multimillion-rand state-of-the-art facility. It adds to the growing number of first-class services turning the once neglected township into a vibrant economic hub.

Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, South Africa's biggest hospital and one of the biggest in the world, has opened a revamped medical admissions ward that will help the Soweto, Johannesburg facility cope better with its heavy patient load.

Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, south-west of Johannesburg, was the first to benefit from a project to replace deteriorating electro-mechanical equipment in health facilities across South Africa's Gauteng province.

South Africa has moved one step closer to a National Health Insurance scheme, with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announcing a R121-billion health budget for 2012/13, aimed at improving hospitals and strengthening public health ahead of the scheme's introduction.