The first and only stand-alone tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa dedicated entirely to child healthcare, the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, will celebrate 70 years of caring by launching a R70m fundraising event, reports News24.
Driven by the Children’s Hospital Trust, the event aims to secure the future of the next seven decades.
The facility has led the way in paediatric healthcare in South Africa and beyond since 1956 through medical innovation, improving children’s health, and providing care for generations of youngsters and families.
The hospital said the occasion was a moment to reflect on a remarkable legacy and an opportunity to highlight the ongoing needs of the hospital and the important role the public can play in supporting its future.
Hospital CEO Dr Anita Parbhoo added that they stood on the foundation of people who, 70 years ago, had little but gave what they could so children with even less could receive the best possible care.
The hospital sees around 250 000 young patients every year, which is an estimated 17.5m children since inception, including infants with congenital heart conditions, severe burns and trauma, cancer patients, and complex neurosurgical cases referred from across sub-Saharan Africa.
The trust’s CEO, Chantel Cooper, said the R70m fundraising campaign was a commitment to every child who had been to the hospital in the past 70 years, those receiving treatment today, and those who would rely on the institution in the future.
The campaign was also a tribute to the remarkable staff and the donors who have partnered with the hospital, she said, which had sustained and strengthened the hospital across generations.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
New orthopaedic unit for Red Cross Children’s Hospital
Red Cross Hospital makes history with first-in-Africa procedure
Covid ward at Red Cross Children’s Hospital has seven patients