Top 10 Child Care Hospitals in 2022

platform for improving child healthcare throughout Africa.
The African Paediatric Fellowship Programme (APFP)
builds a specialist paediatric clinical workforce, research
and training capacity across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Initiated by the University of Cape Town, in partnership
with the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital,
APFP provides relevant training for African child health
professionals by Africa, in Africa. The project confirms that
Africa has 24% of the global disease burden but only 3% of
the world’s health workers. Critically, there is fewer than 1
paediatrician per 100,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa
compared to 99 per 100,000 in the USA. As these child
health leaders return to their countries, they ensure that they
represent the voices of children to ensure that they have
access to health care.
“We can learn from these Fellows who aspire to change
their systems against all odds. The Fellow who started a
child-focused cancer unit. The Fellow who started a
vaccination body that included East and West Africa, as far
too many children in Africa are dying from preventable
diseases. Through collaboration, commitment and support,
change happens. Growing children are unique, and their
needs are different to adults. As leaders, we need to ensure
that all children can access healthcare that focuses on their
needs.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that we
cannot lose sight of what children need as they grow up to
become adults; they are the future generation. Let us use
these lessons and work together to ensure that we, as
leaders, continue to build the platform for improved child
healthcare for those who need it the most,” adds Chantel.
Redefining Excellence
For the Children’s Hospital Trust, it is not about awards and
recognition. The Trust has invested over R1 billion of
donated funds since inception, including the training for
over 600 healthcare workers from Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Trust raises funds for the upgrade and expansion of the
Hospital’s buildings, the purchase of state-of-the-art
medical equipment, new medical treatment projects and
funds the training of medical professionals across Africa –
ensuring that the Hospital not only retains its world-class
stature, but is able to continue providing life-changing and
life-saving care for children.
The Trust relies on donations in order to fund these needs.
When you donate to the Trust, 100% of your donation goes
towards funding projects that change children’s lives (and
the lives of the people who love them). The operational
costs of the Trust are funded from an endowment, so your
generous contributions are never used to cover
administration costs.
Since April 2019, the Trust has been actively raising funds
for the upgrade and expansion of the current Emergency
Centre. The project is being delivered in two phases, with
phase 1 completed in October 2020, and phase 2 in
February 2022. The upgrade and expansion will improve
personalised care and flow of patients and healthcare
professionals through the extremely busy frontline of the
Hospital.
All spaces have been designed with the comfort and safety
of young patients in mind. Despite the pressures and
inconvenience of construction in progress, Emergency
Centre staff have been committed to maintaining the high
standard of care needed to minimise hospitalisation and
ensuring that the children return home to their families
without delay. So far, R121 million has been raised, which
means that they are only R1 million away from their goal.
The African Paediatric Fellowship Programme (APFP) saw
16 Fellows complete their training in 2020, bringing the
total number of alumni since the start of the programme in
2007, to 131. 92% of alumni are still working in Africa, a
testament to the robustness of the programme’s approaches
to building capacity for Africa.
The Weekend Waiting List Initiative (WWLI) has been
running as an annual project since 2011. The Initiative was
established to address the protracted waiting list by adding
an additional day of surgeries (Saturday) to the hospital’s
operating schedule. By reducing the large volumes of
relatively minor cases, more scope and flexibility are
provided for more complex cases to be attended to during
the week.
During 2020, with most elective surgeries cancelled in the
first half of the year due to the pandemic, it was estimated
that it will take up to two years to catch up the additional
surgical backlog these delays have caused. Resuming in
July 2020, the WWLI was therefore central to the
Hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.