Mater Children’s Hospital celebrates 80 years

Thursday 6 July marked the 80th birthday of Mater Children’s Hospital (MCH) and to celebrate this milestone a superheroes-themed party was held with the Sisters of Mercy, staff, patients and their families invited to share in the celebrations.

Executive Director of Mater Mothers’, Children’s and Adult Hospitals, Dr Mark Waters thanked staff, patients and medical officers for their contribution and support.

“We are very proud of what we have accomplished over the past 80 years,” Dr Waters said.

“When Mater Children’s Hospital officially opened its doors in July 1931, its 80 beds were occupied immediately and in its first year of operation, the hospital admitted 1266 patients and saw over 7000 outpatients.”

The hospital was dedicated as a memorial to Mother M. Patrick Potter who worked to build a children’s hospital on Mater Hill but died before her dream became a reality.

It was her dream to build an 80 bed modern children’s public hospital, complete with medical and surgical beds, a nursery for small sick babies and an operating theatre.

However, financial constraints meant only half the original plans were constructed by 1931, with the rest of the building left unfinished until 1976 when the new wing was opened.

The first MCH Annual Report details a list of causes for admission during those early days. They include: typhoid, whooping cough, diphtheria, acute poliomyelitis, polioencephalitis and, what was quaintly termed, diseases of the organs of vision.

By far, the greatest numbers of admissions related to respiratory diseases and diseases of the pharynx and tonsils.

MCH remained in the original building until May 2001 when the service transferred to the new Mater Children’s Hospital building on Stanley Street.

Each year more than 41 000 children receive emergency care at Mater, making MCH Queensland’s busiest paediatric emergency department.

“A sincere thank you to everyone who has contributed to making the Mater Children’s Hospital the outstanding facility it is today,” Dr Waters said.

Significant events

• 1931—Mater Children’s Hospital opened.
• 1971—119 patients were evacuated after a fire in the ceiling.
• 1976—The extension to Mater Children’s Hospital opened.
• 1981—Mater Children’s Hospital Development Clinic opened to care for children with long term developmental problems.
• 1981—Mother Theresa visited the Mater.
• 1986—Queensland’s first Sleep Laboratory was established at Mater Children’s Hospital.
• 1990—Ronald McDonald House opened.
• 1994—Mater Children’s Hospital’s new Babies Ward officially opened.
• 1998—Mater Children’s Private Hospital opened—the first paediatric private hospital in Australia.
• 1998—The Paediatric Epilepsy Centre at Mater opened.
• 1999—Mater Children’s Hospital became Queensland’s transplant centre for adolescent and child renal transplants.
• 1999—Australia’s first structured Pets As Therapy Scheme was launched.
• 2001—The new Mater Children’s Hospital and Mater Children’s Private Hospital in Stanley Street, South Brisbane was officially opened.
• 2008—Queensland Paediatric Cardiac Services (QPCS) transitioned from The Prince Charles Hospital to Mater Children’s Hospital.