In the 19th century, Amsterdam is struck by multiple cholera epidemics, and children are the primary victims. City doctor Samuel de Ranitz raises money and opens the first children's hospital in Amsterdam on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal on 6 May 1865. Until then, children lie in general wards with adults and hardly receive appropriate care. The new hospital, intended for children from impoverished backgrounds, starts with just six patients. De Ranitz often visits them personally in their dark, damp homes and arranges free admission.

A little later, the hospital has twelve wooden cribs, which are soon replaced by iron beds. Although the number of admissions is increasing, the medical possibilities are limited. The emphasis is on nursing and hygiene. Infectious diseases such as measles, typhoid and malaria claim many children's lives during these years.

In 1873, a new, more modern hospital building opens on Sarphatistraat, with the support of Miss Pauline Berg. She donates a considerable part of the required money and becomes the first female director. The building accommodates 120 children and is designed with an eye for light, air and space, featuring south-facing verandas and a view of meadows. An isolation building for infectious diseases is later added, the first in the Netherlands.

In the early days, only a single doctor works in the hospital: De Ranitz himself. He combines his work in the hospital with a private practice and is only replaced during holidays. Despite the limited staff, the hospital takes major strides. It closely follows all medical innovations. Around 1880, revolutionary breakthroughs bring progress: the bacterial causes of infectious diseases are discovered, hygiene improves partly due to the installation of sewerage, and mortality rates fall dramatically. The Emma acquires new technologies, such as X-ray equipment, anaesthesia machines and a disinfection oven.

Alongside medical innovations, the organisation of care is also taking shape. The name ‘Emma Children's Hospital’ was only created in 1899, when Queen Emma became its patroness.

In those days, nursing was still in its infancy. There were no qualifications and well-bred ladies did the work out of charity. Nurses cleaned, kept order and comforted the children. They often built a close bond with the patients, who stayed in the hospital for an average of two months. It was not until 1904 that the Emma gained recognition as a training hospital and the first qualifications were awarded.

More human
Child care is taking on an increasingly human face. Despite limited resources, the staff consider atmosphere important: the wards are getting palms, birdcages and prints on the walls. Thanks to the Ladies' Committee, there are toys and celebrations such as Sinterklaas are held. Yet the working environment remains tough: nurses live in, work long days and have little privacy.

Following the Second World War, paediatric nursing develops into a serious profession. Parents are given greater access to their sick children and brothers and sisters are also allowed to visit. Psychosocial support for sick children receives more and more attention. The goal remains: to nurse children as much as possible within their family, but with the help of professionals.

In 1988, the Emma Children's Hospital moved to the AMC in Southeast Amsterdam, the current Amsterdam UMC. Initially, it ended up on the eighth floor of the AMC, in an impractical, cramped setting. This prompted the start of ‘Metamorphosis’: a fundamental renewal of the Emma that went beyond mere renovation. At that time, care still focused largely on the illness rather than the child as a whole. The hospital had to become a place where children could develop and make friendships despite their illness.

Thanks to financial support from Stichting Steun Emma Kinderziekenhuis and many donors, this vision is becoming a reality. King Willem-Alexander will open the refurbished Emma Children’s Hospital on 7 October 2015. The hospital now features single rooms with space for parents, playfully designed corridors, a ‘Parade’ area for children’s activities and events, a theatre/cinema, a teenagers’ kitchen and even an employment agency. In 2018, the paediatric department of the VUmc also joined the AMC, resulting in the current Emma Children’s Hospital: Amsterdam’s joint academic children’s hospital.

Child care is taking on an increasingly human face. Despite limited resources, the staff consider atmosphere important: the wards are getting palms, birdcages and prints on the walls. Thanks to the Ladies' Committee, there are toys and celebrations such as Sinterklaas are held. Yet the working environment remains tough: nurses live in, work long days and have little privacy.
Following the Second World War, paediatric nursing develops into a serious profession. Parents are given greater access to their sick children and brothers and sisters are also allowed to visit. Psychosocial support for sick children receives more and more attention. The goal remains: to nurse children as much as possible within their family, but with the help of professionals.

In 1988, the Emma Children's Hospital moved to the AMC in Southeast Amsterdam, the current Amsterdam UMC. Initially, it ended up on the eighth floor of the AMC, in an impractical, cramped setting. This prompted the start of ‘Metamorphosis’: a fundamental renewal of the Emma that went beyond mere renovation. At that time, care still focused largely on the illness rather than the child as a whole. The hospital had to become a place where children could develop and make friendships despite their illness.

Thanks to financial support from Stichting Steun Emma Kinderziekenhuis and many donors, this vision is becoming a reality. King Willem-Alexander will open the refurbished Emma Children’s Hospital on 7 October 2015. The hospital now features single rooms with space for parents, playfully designed corridors, a ‘Parade’ area for children’s activities and events, a theatre/cinema, a teenagers’ kitchen and even an employment agency. In 2018, the paediatric department of the VUmc also joined the AMC, resulting in the current Emma Children’s Hospital: Amsterdam’s joint academic children’s hospital.

At the Emma Children's Hospital, the focus is not just on the illness, but on the whole child. That is why the Emma tracks how patients are getting on at school, with friends, and in their development towards independence. Medical staff are trained to look at the whole child and to call in help from social work or schools in a timely manner. In recent years, this broad perspective has led to the opening of new specialised departments. In 2024, the advanced Neonatal ICU for seriously ill and prematurely born babies opens. With facilities such as twin and triplet rooms and couplet care rooms, where mother and child stay together, another step is being taken towards family-centred care. In the skills lab, parents also learn how they can actively contribute to the care themselves, ensuring that the bond with their child is maintained during a hospital stay.

Alongside caring for the very youngest, the Emma Children's Hospital brings together knowledge, disciplines and expertise in the field of severe, complex abdominal conditions in the Paediatric Abdominal Centre. Another expertise centre is the Emma Center for Personalized Medicine (Emma CPM), for children and families with a rare hereditary condition. Here, science is directly translated into practice: thanks to new technologies, conditions can be recognised more quickly and tailored care can be provided.

Children and young people with a combination of physical and psychological symptoms also find specialised care at the Emma. The Child & Adolescent Medical Psychiatric Unit (MPU) offers a solution where regular care falls short. Thanks to a recent expansion, partly made possible by the support of the Foundation, the MPU now has more beds, parental facilities, a music room and even an indoor therapy garden. This means that not only does the child receive help, but the whole family is supported too.

Meanwhile, the Emma continues to innovate with projects that connect care, research and well-being. For example, construction is starting on the Ziggo Dome XS, a creative meeting place where children can make music and attend performances. Music helps to reduce tension, anxiety and pain, and gives children the space to express themselves. At the same time, work is underway on the Emma Research Center, a facility where research infrastructure, a Clinical Trial Unit and a Sedation Unit come together. This creates a sustainable infrastructure that supports young researchers and further strengthens the quality of paediatric medicine.

From a modest initiative in a deprived neighbourhood, the Emma Children's Hospital has grown into a leading academic centre for paediatrics. Top-tier medical care, family-centred support and innovative research projects go hand in hand here. The Emma continues to innovate, with the aim of giving every child the chance of a healthy, dignified and fulfilling life.

The Emma Children's Hospital continues to evolve, driven by the belief that every child deserves the best possible care and future. This requires more than just medical knowledge and dedicated professionals. Thanks to the support of donors, new ideas can be developed, research can be stimulated, and there can remain room for care that goes beyond the obvious. In this way, together with the people who hold the Emma close to their hearts, we continue to build the future of the children's hospital.