The history of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital goes back all the way to the Second World War when a group of South African soldiers of all races resolved that when they returned home they would create a place of healing in honour of their fallen comrades. The soldiers contributed part of their salary to a special fund and once back on South African soil planned the Hospital together with the Red Cross Society, a charity organisation, and the Cape Provincial Government.

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

Managing approximately 250 000 patient visits a year treating some of the most complex, life-threatening or life-limiting conditions, not only does the Hospital treat extremely sick children with great success, it also serves as a facility to train others and runs an effective outreach programmes. The Hospital is managed by the Department of Health of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) with an operational budget of R359million for the 2008/2009 Financial Year. The Children's Hospital Trust works in partnership with the Department of Health on specific projects. Over and above this the Hospital depends on charitable donations to ensure it remains the leading centre for child health care in Africa.

What makes the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital unique?

• The Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital offers a comprehensive range of specialist paediatric healthcare services to children from all over Africa.
• It provides a significant tertiary service, as well as paediatric outreach and support programmes across South Africa.
• It is regarded as South Africa's leading centre for post-graduate specialist paediatric medical and surgical training.
• It has academic links with the University of Cape Town's School of Child and Adolescent Health; the University of the Western Cape's Dental School and is developing links with the University of Stellenbosch.

Learn More About the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital

Pioneers in Paediatric Health Care - The Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, as a leading centre for paediatric care boasts many medical firsts. Read more about the types of surgeries being performed at this hospital.

Specially Mandated Services - The national and provincial Government have earmarked this children's hospital to be the sole provider of several specialised paediatric surgeries in the Western Cape and South Africa as a whole.

Roles in Training and Outreach - The Hospital plays a major role in training new paediatric specialists and in filtering skills down into the communities it services. In association with the University of Cape Town's Health Sciences Faculty a wide range of paediatric disciplines are taught and important medical research into childhood diseases is conducted at the Hospital.

In order to perform the miracles they do, the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital is dependant on its fundraising arm - the Children's Hospital Trust, a children's hospital charity that in turn depends on donations from the public. Learn more about what we are doing to act as a catalyst for change and to help the Hospital heal sick children.