George, South Africa

The Children’s Hospital Trust

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa had relatively humble beginnings when it opened in 1956, but today it is a cornerstone of paediatric health care in southern Africa and the only stand alone, specialist hospital in southern Africa dedicated entirely to children.

Patients include the sickest of sick children who need highly complex interventions to recover.  The Hospital provides training to paediatric health care professionals from the entire sub-continent and does important research into the illnesses of childhood.

The majority of the Hospital’s young patients are from the Western Cape, with cases from the rest of South Africa, Africa and in some instances, the rest of the world. The majority of the patients come from poor and marginalised communities. A third of these children are under a year old. With 300 beds for inpatients and 71 outpatient clinics the Hospital manages approximately 250 000 patient visits each year.

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital is respected the world over because of its many successes and milestones. Groundbreaking work includes the first open-heart surgery on a child and the first paediatric heart transplant in South Africa. The first liver transplant programme for children in Africa. The first combined liver and kidney transplant on a child and the first successful separation of conjoined twins in South Africa. The list goes on.

While the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital is a leader on the African continent in caring for the sickest children, it is more than 54 years old. There will always be a need to maintain buildings, purchase new technology, continue research, train health care professionals, refine treatment models for a host of childhood diseases and address the growing spectre of HIV infection and AIDS in children.

The Children’s Hospital Trust

The Children’s Hospital Trust was established in 1994 to support the Hospital. Government funds the running costs and the maintenance of the Hospital, but still the requirements for equipment and modernized facilities are beyond the scope of the Health Department.

The Hospital is an excellent example of how an African country has managed to stay abreast of the world’s best developments in child healthcare through complementary funding.

As a Public Benefit Organisation the Trust has a record of sound financial administration and good governance. 100% of the funding the Trust receives is spent on improving the Hospital.

Over the years the Trust has raised millions of Rands to provide facilities that complement the incredible work done at the Hospital. The Trust’s success rests entirely on the generosity of its countless donors; donors ranging from corporate giants, to small businesses, to individuals within the community.

While the Hospital is a centre of excellence it is not complete within itself. It requires increasing help and vital project needs are identified by the Hospital. The Children’s Hospital Trust takes on prioritised projects to secure critical complementary funding. The D1 Specialist Surgical Ward at the Hospital currently handles approximately 180 admissions per month and is one of the areas that have not been upgraded since the Hospital was built in 1956.

100% of the funds donated from the Gary Player Invitational Golf Event will go towards making this project a reality.