The Pediatric Department at Al-Makassed Hospital serves as a multi-specialty medical center for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic and acute diseases.

The Pediatric Department was established in the 1970s as a small wing of the hospital with a small number of beds and its main activity was to treat children admitted to the hospital with infectious and chronic diseases such as anemia, meningitis or inflammatory bowel diseases.

Over the years, there has been a steady and continuous expansion and growth of the department to meet the growing needs of the Palestinian community. This included expanding services in the general pediatric ward, opening a unit for premature babies, and raising the level of service in the pediatric intensive care unit, the intensive care unit for pediatric cardiac patients, and the outpatient clinics affiliated with the pediatric department.

In parallel with these developments, subspecialties have been created in the pediatric department that are greatly needed by Palestinian children and are not available elsewhere in Palestine.

The availability of diagnostic tests and therapeutic means is considered among the best in the world. The staff in the department work with resident doctors and nursing staff in complete harmony with the rest of the hospital's specialties such as pediatric surgery, orthopedics, heart and chest surgery, urology, and neurosurgery.

It is noteworthy that the multiplicity of medical services provided to patients by doctors is also provided by the hospital's nursing staff.

The pediatric department now includes pediatric specialists in addition to specialists in the following subspecialties:

1- Neonatal medicine.
2- Pediatric cardiology.
3- Pediatric thyroid.
4- Pediatric neurology.
5- Pediatric metabolic diseases, clinical and laboratory services.
6- Genetic diseases in children, clinical and laboratory services as well.

New services will soon be provided to the pediatric department, such as pediatric lung diseases and internal medicine. There are currently two Palestinian doctors specializing in these specialties in the United States of America. The pediatric department also has a diverse and qualified nursing staff. The Pediatrics Department is characterized by the warm relationship between the staff and patients and their families.

Educational and training activities of the department:

The Pediatrics Department runs an educational program for resident doctors who specialize in the pediatrics department. This program extends for four years and is recognized by the Jordanian and Palestinian Medical Councils. It was established in 1988 and graduates two to three doctors annually who can pass the exams with ease. In addition, the Pediatrics Department at the hospital is linked and regularly works with the Faculty of Medicine at Al-Quds University, so that specialist doctors work as lecturers at the university.

The Pediatrics Department contains the following units:
1- Pediatrics Department Wing.
2- Neonatal Unit.
3- Intensive Care Unit.
4- Intensive Care Unit for Pediatric Cardiac Patients.
5- Outpatient Clinics.
6- Occupational and Neurological Therapy Unit.
7- Cytogenetics Laboratory.
8- Molecular Genetics Laboratory.
9- Salwa Al-Dajani Metabolism Laboratory.

The pediatric department is headed by Dr. Bassam Abu Labdeh

The following doctors work in the department, each according to his specialty and place of work:
1- Dr. Hatem Khammash, Head of the Premature Infants Department.
2- Dr. Mahmoud Al-Nashashibi, Head of the Pediatric Cardiology Department.
3- Dr. Samir Khalil, Head of the Pediatric Neurology Department.
4- Dr. Imad Duweikat, Head of the Salwa Al-Dajani Metabolism Laboratory.
5- Dr. Sedki Hamada - Premature Infants Department
6- Dr. Abdul Salam Abu Labdeh - Works in the Pituitary Gland Unit in Children.
7- Dr. Suhail Ayesh, Director of the Molecular Genetics Laboratory.
8- Dr. Shaher Al-Shuwaiki - General Pediatrics Department.
9- Dr. Sara Abu Rmeileh - General Pediatrics Department.
10- Dr. Alaa Al-Sayed - General Pediatrics Department.
11- Dr. Abdul Latif Al-Khatib - Premature Infants Department.