About Groote Schuur
Nine decades of world firsts
From the slopes of Devil's Peak, Groote Schuur Hospital has changed the course of modern medicine — while never losing sight of the patients at the heart of it all.
Our identity
A great barn, a greater purpose
Groote Schuur — Dutch for “great barn” — takes its name from the historic estate on whose grounds the hospital was built. The three wheat sheaves on our coat of arms recall that granary; the anchor and serpent speak of hope and healing; and the motto beneath them, Servamus, means simply: we serve.
When it opened on 31 January 1938, Groote Schuur became the chief teaching hospital of the University of Cape Town. Today it is a tertiary academic hospital of the Western Cape Government, a Level 1 trauma centre, and the central referral hospital for the Cape Town metro — receiving patients from across South Africa and the African continent.
It is the only public hospital in South Africa that performs heart, lung, liver and kidney transplants, and the first public-sector hospital in Africa to operate a da Vinci Xi surgical robot. The original hospital building was declared a Provincial Heritage Site in 1996.
Servamus — We Serve
Three wheat sheaves for the great barn · the Rod of Asclepius for healing · an anchor for hope
1938
Opened on the slopes of Devil's Peak
25
Operating theatres
23 000
Operations performed each year
12
World firsts in medicine
18
South African firsts
4
Organ transplant programmes — heart, lung, liver & kidney
Our story
Moments that made medical history
1938
The hospital opens its doors
On 31 January 1938, Groote Schuur Hospital opens on the historic Groote Schuur estate on the slopes of Devil's Peak, becoming the chief teaching hospital of the University of Cape Town.
1955
The seeds of the CT scanner
Physicist Allan Cormack's work on radiotherapy planning at Groote Schuur leads to the mathematics behind computed tomography — earning him the 1979 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
1967
The world's first human heart transplant
On 3 December 1967, Professor Christiaan Barnard and a team of thirty perform the world's first human-to-human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky in the Charles Saint Theatre — a moment that changes medicine forever.
1975
Another world first
Groote Schuur surgeons perform the world's first fallopian tube transplant — one of what would become twelve world firsts achieved at the hospital.
1989
The new Groote Schuur opens
A modern hospital complex opens alongside the historic original building, housing new operating theatres and intensive care units. The old building later becomes a Provincial Heritage Site.
2008
Pioneering HIV-positive transplants
Groote Schuur performs the world's first kidney transplants between HIV-positive donors and recipients — opening life-saving treatment to thousands previously excluded.
2017
Surgery without borders
Fifty years after the heart transplant, surgeons perform the world's first brain operation through the eye socket, and the hospital becomes the first public hospital in Africa with a da Vinci Xi surgical robot.
Today
A living legacy
With 12 world firsts, 5 African firsts and 18 South African firsts, Groote Schuur remains the only public hospital in South Africa transplanting hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys — and a new Emergency Centre is opening its doors.
The record
Twelve world firsts
Alongside 5 African firsts and 18 South African firsts — here are some of the moments Groote Schuur led the world. The record is championed by the Groote Schuur Hospital Trust, which channels private giving into the hospital's work.
Visit our heritage
The Heart of Cape Town Museum
In the old Main Building, the original operating theatres where the 1967 transplant took place have been lovingly preserved as a museum honouring Professor Barnard, his team, Louis Washkansky and donor Denise Darvall. Guided tours run Monday to Friday at 09:00, 11:00 and 13:00 — booking is essential.
1967
The museum's phone number ends in 1967 — a deliberate tribute to the year a Groote Schuur team gave the world a new heartbeat.
Leadership
Guiding the hospital forward
Dr Shaheem de Vries
Chief Executive Officer
Emergency medicine specialist and former head of Western Cape Emergency Medical Services, leading Groote Schuur since February 2024.
Dr Jayshina Punwasi
Chief Operating Officer
Driving day-to-day clinical operations and quality of care across the hospital since February 2024.