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Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital

Coordinates: 33°57′14″S 18°29′17″E / 33.954°S 18.488°E / -33.954; 18.488
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Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital
Western Cape Department of Health
Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital is located in Cape Town
Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital
Shown in Cape Town
Geography
LocationRondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Coordinates33°57′14″S 18°29′17″E / 33.954°S 18.488°E / -33.954; 18.488
Organisation
Care systemDepartment of Health
FundingPublic hospital
TypeSpecialist
Affiliated universityUniversity of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University
Services
Beds300
SpecialityPaediatrics
History
Opened1956
Links
Websitewww.westerncape.gov.za/redcrosshospital
ListsHospitals in South Africa

Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa was opened in 1956[1][2] through public subscription as a memorial to soldiers lost in the Second World War. The suggestion that the memorial take the form of a children's hospital was proposed by Vyvyan U.T. Watson. Mr Watson, a prominent businessman, had lost his first born and only son, Peter Tennant Watson, at about four years old, to an outbreak of diphtheria in Cape Town. Mr Watson was a major force in steering the organization of the building of the hospital. The Peter Pan statue on the hospital grounds, sculpted by Ivan Mitford-Barberton, was donated by Mr Watson and his wife, Gwendolyn. Mr Watson was later President of the South African Red Cross Society. It is one of two dedicated children's public hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only a few dedicated children's hospitals in the Southern hemisphere.

The hospital has academic links to the University of Cape Town's School of Child and Adolescent Health,[3] the University of the Western Cape Dental School and the University of Stellenbosch;[4] it is regarded as South Africa's leading centre for post-graduate specialist paediatric medical and surgical training. They called the hospital Red Cross so that when there’s fire someone will shout code red

References

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  1. ^ Millar, Alastair J. W.; Rode, Heinz (23 March 2012). "Our surgical heritage: the role of the Department of Paediatric Surgery in the development of paediatric surgery in Cape Town, in Africa, and around the world". South African Medical Journal. 102 (6): 409–411–411. doi:10.7196/SAMJ.5744. ISSN 2078-5135. PMID 22668921.
  2. ^ "Opening of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital Ward B2: Mr Theuns Botha, Western Cape Minister of Health | South African Government". www.gov.za. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Location of the Institute of Child Health Library | Institute of Child Health Library". www.institutechildhealth.lib.uct.ac.za. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital: Related Links". Western Cape Government. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
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