The PIDC, open since 1988, is located in Upper Mulago Hospital. It began as the Immuni-Suppressive Syndrome (ISS) Clinic under the Child Health and Development Centre of Makerere University. At that time it was a once-weekly clinic serving an average of 60 patients per clinic day.

In 2002, the Infectious Disease Institute began supporting the clinic as it moved to its current location, newly renovated with the support of the US Center for Disease Control (CDC).

The clinic, also supported by Baylor University, Houston, USA, now operates four days a week with one clinic day for adolescents and the other three days for pediatric cases.

The PIDC also operates programmes to support improved quality health-care to children and adolescents. These include a home health programme to support and monitor adherence, nutrition activities including provision of breakfast for patients, and clinic-based research activities including a study of better forms of treatment for adolescents.