Whose responsibility are the children?

This was the question posed by the Dean of UCT’s Health Science faculty, Prof Lionel Green-Thompson, at tonight’s launch of The Proton Therapy Initiative. 

Children were the focus for many of the speakers and it’s easy to see why! 90% of the world's children live in low and middle income countries and South Africa, with our population’s median age of 19, is no exception! 

Professor Anthony Figaji, NI member and paediatric neurosurgeon at Red Cross Children’s Hospital, highlighted the incredible research opportunity were a proton therapy centre to be built here. We have the skills and, most notably, the young patient population. With the addition of proton therapy technology we could become one of probably 3 places in the world able to effectively gather data on how drugs (tagged with radio isotopes) are metabolised in paediatric bodies, putting us at the cutting-edge! 

The Minister of the Western Cape Government for Health and Wellness, Mireille Wenger, officially launched the initiative and spoke passionately about all stakeholders holders working together effectively to make this dream a brick, mortar and proton-beam reality.