Our Inspiration
Collaboration Drives Innovation
Christiaan Barnard pioneered the world’s first human to human heart transplant on the 3rd December 1967.
With a team of 30 it took 9 hours and put South Africa on the global medical map for a procedure that was thought to be impossible.
This innovation in medical science could not have be possible without two key collaborators: Denise Darvall who donated her heart and Dr Barnard’s assistant Hamilton Naki who started working as a gardener for the medical school and was appointed principle surgical assistant to Barnard in preparation for one of the most pioneering medical operations of all time.
At the time due to apartheid Mr. Naki was not publicly acknowledged for his contributions to medical history but was later granted an honorary degree in medicine and the country’s highest order for public service.
Growth by Colab 