Social impact

SUNHEART

The Division not only provides advanced cardiac care to international standards and trains cardiology candidates from across Africa, but through SUNHEART it also aims to be the continent’s leading centre for cardiology training, research, and outreach. SUNHEART has become a hub for pioneering projects, ranging from award-winning interventional cardiology trials to comprehensive studies on heart failure management. By investing in modern infrastructure, skilled professionals, and targeted community programmes, it extends world-class cardiac care to underserved populations.Recognising the inequalities in healthcare access across South Africa and the Western Cape, the Division launched the SUNHEART Outreach Program in 2013. Structured as a Hub-and-Spoke model, with Tygerberg Hospital as the hub, the program reaches satellite centres at Helderberg, Karl Bremer, Khayelitsha, Paarl, and Worcester hospitals. Through regular consultant cardiologist visits, patients are evaluated locally, improving care, reducing waiting times and costs, and empowering rural healthcare workers to manage complex cardiac cases. SUNHEART and the Outreach Program exemplify the Division’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and social impact, expanding equitable access to world-class cardiac care while building capacity across the region.

Wellness garden project 2020

One positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic was the increased focus on staff wellness. From this awareness, the Tygerberg Wellness Garden was born an initiative embraced wholeheartedly by the Division of Cardiology.

With generous support from Biotronik, the Division restored and developed a central water fountain and took ownership of two feature areas in the garden:

🌿 The Clivia Garden – celebrating the beauty of South Africa’s shady indigenous forest plants.
🌵 The Succulent Garden – showcasing resilient species typical of our country’s sunny landscapes.

Nestled between Tygerberg Hospital and the campus courtyard, the garden offers a tranquil escape. Next time you visit the hospital cafeteria, take a moment to enjoy the garden.