The new Ndlovu Research Center is fast approaching completion. We previously reported on the construction and the need for a research facility in the rural areas (The new Research Center). The Ndlovu Care Group has built a state of the art research institute and laboratory in the community of Elandsdoorn to conduct academic research projects and studies with a health benefit. An outstanding feature of the new research facility is that it is equipped with solar panels and thus relies on neutral solar energy as its main power source, reducing Co2 emissions and improving Ndlovu Care Group’s Co2 footprint.
The building is now even equipped with an elevator. The large platform and capacity make this elevator ideal for carrying heavy loads and transporting bulky equipment to the different floors of the building. The elevator can travel up to 13 meters in height.
The Ndlovu Care Group is one of the few, if not the only facility in rural South Africa that can provide plasma storage. Since the ARV program began in 2003, blood samples have been taken from each patient and stored to monitor status and progress. These blood samples are now stored in six -84 degree freezers and one -125 degree freezer. The result is a unique library that offers opportunities for unique research.
The laboratory is located on the upper floor of the new Research Center building, as is the plasma storage facility. An elevator is essential for the delivery of all materials and instruments. The freezers weigh between 500 and 700 kilograms. It is impossible to transport them via the stairwell. At 115 kilograms, the centrifuge is not exactly a lightweight either.
Some patients who come for examinations also need an elevator.
The fact that this has finally been installed is a great relief and a huge step forward for the new Ndlovu Research Center.
The opening, for which many guests are expected, will be on October 18.
