User talk:The Children's Hospital Trust

The Children’s Hospital Trust
The Children’s Hospital Trust is a non-profit organisation that fundraises for the Red Cross War Memorial and Paediatric Healthcare in the Western Cape. The Children’s Hospital Trust was founded in 1994 as the independent Fundraising Arm of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa when the Hospital was threatened with closure due to lack of funding. Since its inception the Children’s Hospital Trust has supported the Hospital through upgrading its buildings, purchasing equipment and funding training and research programmes.

In 2011 the Children’s Hospital Trust expanded its mandate to also raise funds for projects beyond the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and within the Western Cape, South Africa which will directly impact paediatric healthcare and indirectly impact patient outcomes and services in the Hospital and reduce the burden on the Hospital.

The first Children’s Hospital Trust expanded-reach fundraising project was the equipping of four METRO Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulances with additional specialist paediatric equipment. The Children’s Hospital Trust’s operational costs are funded from an endowment resulting in 100% of all donations made going directly to the specified projects and programmes at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospitaland projects benefitting paediatric healthcare in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital
The history of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital goes back all the way to World War II 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 the only stand alone, specialist children's hospital dedicated entirely to children in southern Africa.

Managing approximately 260 000 patient visits a year and treating some of the most complex, life-threatening or life-limiting conditions, not only does the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital treat extremely sick children, it also serves as a facility to train others and runs outreach programmes. The Hospital is managed by the Department of Health of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) with an annual operational budget of R500million plus. The Children's Hospital Trust works in partnership with the Department of Health to fundraise for specific projects. Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital offers a crange 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.

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital - Pioneers in Paediatric Care
As southern Africa's only dedicated specialist paediatric hospital the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital has a long list of South African firsts:

•	1959 - The first open-heart surgery on a child. •	1960 - The largest neonatal intensive care unit (Dr Chris Barnard established the original cardiac unit and ICU).

•	1964 - The first hospital to separate conjoined twins. •	1969 - The first children's cancer service.

•	1971 - The first paediatric poison information centre. •	1978 - The first Child Accident Prevention Foundation (CAPFSA). •	1979 - The first and only paediatric neurosurgery programme. •	1981 - The first lumbosacral selective rhizotomy for spasticity. •	1984 - The first dedicated paediatric trauma unit.

•	1984 - The first paediatric day surgery unit.

•	1990 - The first child heart transplant. •	1991 - The first and only paediatric liver transplant programme. •	1997 - The first double transplant on a child (liver and kidney). •	2001 - The first autologous epithelial autograft on a burn patient.

•	2002 - The first living related liver transplant.

Other Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital Achievements
•	Since 1964, 35 sets of conjoined twins have been separated. •	Since 1987, 70 liver transplants have been performed.

•	Since 1968, 114 kidney transplants have been performed.