Cape Town: Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital has celebrated 70 years of specialist paediatric care with a patient-centred anniversary event bringing together children, families, hospital staff, donors, sponsors and supporters. The Cape Town institution, which opened in 1956 and remains the Western Cape’s only dedicated specialist children’s hospital, marked the milestone with entertainment, treats, activities, a Heart FM broadcast and a surprise helicopter landing, while reflecting on seven decades of caring for babies, children and teenagers facing burns, cancer, neonatal complications, kidney disease, trauma and other complex medical conditions.
Hospital Marks Seven Decades Of Care
Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital has celebrated its 70th anniversary with a day designed around the children whose courage and recovery have shaped the institution’s history.
The celebration brought together hospital staff, young patients, donors, sponsors, media representatives and supporters for a programme filled with music, activities and small moments of relief from the daily realities of serious illness and injury.
Heart FM’s Suga Rush team broadcast from the hospital, bringing music and birthday messages into the wards, while children received treats and took part in activities arranged for the occasion. A surprise helicopter landing added one of the day’s biggest moments and gave young patients an experience far removed from the routines of tests, treatment and recovery.
The event also recognised doctors, nurses and support teams whose work continues beyond formal medical procedures. Staff lounges received new coffee machines, microwaves and toasters, practical gifts intended to support employees through demanding shifts and long hours.
The celebration was warm and joyful, but the anniversary carried deeper meaning. It marked seven decades during which the hospital has become part of the lives of families from Cape Town, the Western Cape, other provinces and parts of the African continent.
A Hospital Built Entirely Around Children
Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital opened in 1956 and was designed specifically around the medical needs of children.
The Children’s Hospital Trust describes it as the first and only stand-alone tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa dedicated entirely to child healthcare. The Western Cape Government identifies it as the province’s only dedicated specialist children’s hospital.
That specialist focus distinguishes the institution from general hospitals with paediatric wards. Equipment, clinical services, surgical teams, rehabilitation, emotional support and ward environments are developed around the different needs of babies, children and teenagers.
Children are not simply smaller adult patients. Their bodies respond differently to illness, injury, medication and surgery. They also require care that recognises development, family relationships, schooling, fear and the long-term effect of treatment on growth and mobility.
The hospital’s specialist teams deal with some of the most serious and complicated cases in the public health system. These include severe burns, childhood cancers, congenital conditions, kidney disease, neonatal complications, trauma and cases requiring advanced surgery.
For families, arrival at Red Cross often follows a frightening diagnosis, a serious accident or referral from another facility that cannot provide the same level of specialist treatment.
The hospital’s role is therefore both clinical and human. It must provide complex medical care while helping children and caregivers cope with uncertainty, pain and long periods away from home.
Seven Decades Of Medical Milestones
The anniversary reflects a long record of paediatric treatment, training and medical development.
The hospital performed its first kidney transplant in 1968, only 12 years after opening. Last year, it reached its 300th kidney transplant, followed shortly afterwards by two further procedures.
That milestone demonstrated the depth of experience built up through cooperation between paediatric specialists at Red Cross and transplant teams at Groote Schuur Hospital.
Kidney transplantation can transform the life of a young patient with end-stage renal disease, but it requires far more than a single operation. Children need careful assessment, specialist surgery, medication to prevent rejection and long-term follow-up as their bodies grow.
The hospital has also developed one of the region’s most experienced paediatric burns services. Treatment includes emergency stabilisation, surgery, reconstruction, rehabilitation and psychological and social support for children and their families.
Its work has helped establish standards for specialised child healthcare while also training doctors, nurses and other health professionals from South Africa and abroad.
This training role extends the hospital’s influence beyond the patients treated inside its wards. Knowledge developed in Cape Town can improve care in other hospitals and communities when trained professionals return to their own health systems.
Burn Injuries Remain A Major Concern
As the hospital marks 70 years of service, its clinical teams are also warning that too many children continue to suffer preventable burn injuries.
The Western Cape Government said the hospital treats hundreds of paediatric burn cases each year, including scalds from hot liquids, flame burns, electrical injuries and contact burns. Most occur inside the home and disproportionately affect children younger than five.
Dr Tomé Mendes, head of the hospital’s Burns Unit, said burn injuries remained among the most common and devastating preventable forms of trauma affecting young children.
The danger is especially high during colder months when families use heaters, stoves, fires and hot water more frequently. Small children can pull containers from tables, fall against heating devices or be injured by unsecured electrical equipment.
Immediate first aid can reduce the severity of a burn and shorten healing time, but incorrect treatment may make the injury worse.
Medical guidance advises caregivers to cool the affected area under clean, cool running water and seek medical assistance. Household substances such as butter, toothpaste or oil should not be applied because they can trap heat and complicate treatment.
Dr Destiny Links, a plastic surgeon at the hospital, said the effect of a serious burn does not end when the wound closes. Children may face scarring, restricted movement, further operations and emotional difficulties as they grow.
The anniversary therefore offers both a moment of celebration and an opportunity to strengthen prevention. The hospital’s greatest success would be treating fewer children because families had the information and support needed to prevent injuries at home.
William Baartman’s Story Reflects Hospital Legacy
One story highlighted during the hospital’s 70th year is that of William Baartman, who was treated at Red Cross after suffering severe burns at the age of four in 1977.
Baartman survived, recovered and went on to live a full life. He later returned to the hospital as a volunteer in the burns service, where he now offers encouragement to children and families facing similar experiences.
His presence gives young patients something medical statistics cannot provide: visible proof that a serious burn does not have to define the rest of a person’s life.
Families arriving at the burns unit may be frightened by the appearance of injuries, the length of treatment and the possibility of reconstructive surgery. Meeting someone who has travelled that path can help them understand that recovery may be difficult but remains possible.
Baartman’s journey also reflects the long relationship many families develop with the hospital. Care may continue through repeated operations, rehabilitation, follow-up appointments and the physical changes that come as a child grows.
The hospital’s impact is therefore measured not only in survival but also in restored function, confidence, independence and the ability to return to school, family life and the wider community.
Donors Help Extend Public Healthcare
The Children’s Hospital Trust has played a major role in supporting the hospital since it was established in 1994.
Working with the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, the hospital and the University of Cape Town’s Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Trust raises funds for infrastructure, specialist training, equipment and child-health programmes.
The Trust says it has invested more than R1 billion since 1994 in improving public health infrastructure, training specialist paediatric workers and supporting programmes that benefit children.
This partnership allows private donors, businesses and members of the public to contribute to projects within a public hospital serving children regardless of their families’ ability to pay.
Fundraising has supported facilities such as the hospital’s expanded Emergency Centre, specialist services and improvements intended to make care safer and more child-friendly.
The role of donors does not replace the responsibility of government to fund public healthcare. Instead, it allows additional projects, equipment and improvements to move forward through partnership.
The anniversary celebration acknowledged that relationship by bringing donors and sponsors together with staff and patients. It gave supporters an opportunity to see the human purpose behind fundraising campaigns and infrastructure projects.
Staff Carry The Hospital’s Daily Work
A hospital’s reputation is often built around specialist procedures and major milestones, but its daily care depends on a much larger group of people.
Doctors and nurses provide diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, while pharmacists, therapists, social workers, radiographers, laboratory teams and administrative staff support every stage of the patient journey.
Household aids, porters, food-service workers, maintenance teams and security personnel also shape the experience of children and families. Their work keeps wards clean, meals available, equipment moving and the hospital functioning through nights, weekends and public holidays.
Many employees spend years or decades at the institution. They see children arrive critically ill, support families through uncertainty and sometimes remain connected to patients through repeated admissions and long-term treatment.
The anniversary gifts for staff lounges were modest compared with the scale of their work, but they recognised an important reality. Those caring for children also need spaces to rest, eat and recover during demanding shifts.
The hospital’s next decade will depend on retaining skilled professionals, training new specialists and supporting staff working under pressure in the public health system.
Care Extends Beyond The Medical Procedure
Children treated at Red Cross often require support that goes beyond the immediate illness or injury.
A serious diagnosis can disrupt education, employment and family finances. Caregivers may need to travel long distances, remain near the hospital or take time away from work and other children.
Social workers help families manage practical and emotional challenges, while rehabilitation teams support children learning to move, communicate or function after treatment.
Psychological support is particularly important for children living with visible scars, chronic illness or repeated hospital admissions. Medical recovery may take place alongside fear, isolation and uncertainty about returning to school or social activities.
The hospital’s child-focused approach recognises play and familiar routines as part of healing. Activities, entertainment and visits during the anniversary were therefore not separate from care. They gave young patients moments in which they could take part in something joyful rather than being defined only by their medical condition.
That is why the celebration focused so heavily on the children themselves. The institution’s history is not simply a list of buildings, procedures and dates. It is a record of individual lives and families supported through some of their most difficult periods.
Pressure On Specialist Services Continues
Reaching 70 years does not remove the challenges facing the hospital.
Demand for specialist paediatric care remains high, while public hospitals must manage staffing pressures, ageing infrastructure, equipment needs and growing demand from communities.
Preventable injuries add pressure to emergency, surgical and rehabilitation services. Burns, poisoning, road crashes and violence can place children in hospital for conditions that stronger prevention might have avoided.
The Western Cape’s population has also grown significantly since the hospital opened, increasing pressure on referral services.
At the same time, advances in medicine allow more children with complex conditions to survive and require long-term specialist care. This is a positive development, but it creates a continuing need for follow-up, rehabilitation and services that support children into adolescence.
The hospital must therefore balance emergency care with planned surgery, chronic treatment, training, research and family support.
Public understanding can help. Communities that know how to prevent injuries, respond correctly in an emergency and seek care early can improve outcomes and reduce the severity of cases reaching hospital.
A Cape Town Institution With Continental Reach
Although rooted in Cape Town, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital has developed a role far beyond the city.
Its specialist services receive referrals from other parts of the country and, in some cases, from elsewhere in Africa. Its teaching and training programmes also support health professionals who later work in other hospitals and communities.
The institution’s value therefore lies not only in the number of children treated directly but also in the knowledge, research and expertise it shares.
The hospital’s stand-alone paediatric model allows different specialists to work closely around the needs of one child. A complex case may involve surgeons, physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers and psychologists working as one team.
That multidisciplinary approach has become central to modern paediatric care and remains one of the hospital’s greatest strengths.
Its 70th anniversary gives Cape Town an opportunity to recognise a public institution that has served generations of families, while also asking what support it needs to continue that work.
The Next Chapter Begins
The anniversary celebration looked back at seven decades of medical care, but it also marked the beginning of the hospital’s next chapter.
The institution will continue treating children with serious injuries and illnesses, training specialists and developing services that respond to changing medical needs.
The Children’s Hospital Trust will continue raising funds for priority projects, while the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness remains responsible for the hospital’s public operations.
For Capetonians, the hospital’s future is closely linked to the strength of the wider child-health system. Prevention in homes, safe roads, early diagnosis, primary healthcare and functioning referral services all affect the number and severity of cases reaching Red Cross.
The anniversary celebration gave young patients a day filled with music, activity and surprise. Behind that joy stood a larger story of public service, medical skill and community support.
For 70 years, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital has been the place where families arrive carrying fear and leave, wherever possible, with recovery, answers and hope.
Q&A
When did Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital open?
The hospital opened in Cape Town in 1956.
What makes the hospital different?
It is the Western Cape’s only dedicated specialist children’s hospital and is described by the Children’s Hospital Trust as the first and only stand-alone tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa devoted entirely to child healthcare.
How was the 70th anniversary celebrated?
Patients, staff, donors, sponsors and supporters gathered for entertainment, activities, treats, a Heart FM broadcast and a surprise helicopter landing.
What medical services does the hospital provide?
The hospital provides specialist paediatric care including burns treatment, surgery, cancer care, neonatal services, kidney treatment and transplantation, trauma care and rehabilitation.
How many kidney transplants has the hospital performed?
The hospital reached its 300th kidney transplant last year and completed two more shortly afterwards.
Why is the hospital warning about burns?
It treats hundreds of paediatric burn cases each year, many of which happen at home and could be prevented through safer practices and correct first aid.
What is the Children’s Hospital Trust?
It is an independent non-profit organisation that raises funds for infrastructure, equipment, specialist training and child-health programmes supporting the hospital and wider public healthcare.
How much has the Trust invested?
The Trust says it has invested more than R1 billion since 1994 in public health infrastructure, training and child-health projects.
Who was William Baartman?
He was treated for severe burns at the hospital as a child in 1977 and later returned as a volunteer to support young burns patients and their families.
How can the public support the hospital?
Members of the public can support verified Children’s Hospital Trust fundraising projects, promote child-safety information and assist approved hospital programmes.
SAI Search Summary
Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital has celebrated 70 years of specialist paediatric care in Cape Town with an anniversary event for young patients, families, staff, donors and supporters. Opened in 1956, the hospital is the Western Cape’s only dedicated specialist children’s hospital and provides advanced treatment for burns, cancer, neonatal complications, kidney disease, trauma and other complex conditions. The celebration included entertainment, activities, treats, a Heart FM broadcast and a surprise helicopter landing, while the hospital used its milestone year to renew warnings about preventable childhood burn injuries.
Sources: Good Things Guy, Nothando Mthembu; Children’s Hospital Trust, official hospital history and organisational information; Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, Dr Tomé Mendes and Dr Destiny Links; Western Cape Government, official kidney transplant milestone report.
