Groote Schuur hospital brings festive joy with gift hampers for patients

Groote Schuur Hospital staff, along with their board members, spread the Christmas cheer by delivering gift hampers for all their patients on Thursday, December 11.

The hampers were made possible by the hospital’s private donors and packed by hospital staff and volunteers. They included snacks, beverages, non-perishable tin foods, and toiletries. 

The hospital’s head of nursing,  Aghmat Mohamed, said this is an amazing initiative, as many of the hospital’s patients are unable to go home to their loved ones. “For us to do this for them, it energises the staff, it has been a difficult year for us with all the challenges, but it is these small things that warm our hearts, our patients are vulnerable, we just want to make them happy and help them recover as soon as possible,” he said.

During the gift handover, the Just Friends band was playing while hospital staff danced in the wards. 

Chairman of the hospital board, Hassen Kajie, said they care for their patients. “While many people can enjoy the festive season, many of our patients can’t go home over Christmas, and because of that, we try to make them happy over the festive season to put some smiles on their faces,” he said.

Mr Kajie said the hospital will also be providing a Christmas lunch for its patients, and private donors will be supplying the ice cream to supplement the lunch.