Department of Paediatrics and Child Health 

Overview

The Department of Paediatrics and Child Health is a key academic hub for child health at UCT. The department is involved in providing clinical services, research, undergraduate and postgraduate training, program and policy support and advocacy for child health.

The administrative headquarters of the School is based in the Institute of Child Health Building adjacent to the Children's Hospital and its operations are carried out at five campuses in greater Cape Town, namely, Somerset Hospital, Groote Schuur Hospital, Mowbray Maternity Hospital, Red Cross Children's Hospital, most of which are clustered around the university. Our headquarters is at Red Cross Children's Hospital, which is one of very few institutions dedicated to children on the continent.

Mission & vision

Our mission is the promotion, restoration and maintenance of the health and well-being of children and adolescents. This to be achieved through excellence in service, teaching, leadership and research at all levels of health care, always placing the interest of children and adolescents first and recognising their needs and rights in the context of their families and communities, the nation and the African continent.

Our vision is to be a powerhouse of academic child and adolescent health in sub-Saharan Africa. Through teaching, researching, promoting and addressing issues in child health and child rights relevant to developing countries in general, and Africa in particular, we aim to have an impact on child and adolescent health throughout the world.  

African Paediatric Fellowship Programme (APFP)

In line with our mission and vision, our successful African Paediatric Fellowship Programme (APFP), was established in 2007  to develop child health capacity in Africa by providing training Fellowships for specialists and sub-specialists and specialist paediatric nurses from Africa, and post Fellowship support and contact.

Research Centre for Adolescent and Child Health (REACH)

REACH is a new paediatric clinical research unit within the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, based at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCH). Opened in October 2013, it follows a decade of successful clinical research at RCH. 

REACH offers a unique facility to address Child Health challenges, to develop new better methods for preventing, diagnosing and managing such conditions. REACH provides an expanded facility with more space, better facilities and greater opportunity to do such research.

Divisions

The department comprises a number of divisions covering the full range of paediatric medicine and provides a training program in paediatric and paediatric sub-specialities for South African and African trainees.