|
| History |
|
| St Mary’s Hospital is a 200-bed, level one district hospital, situated on the outskirts of Durban, in the
Mariannhill Mission Complex, which was established by a group of Trappist Monks in 1882. Several of the monks
were healers and it soon became clear that medical care was needed in the community. The monks appealed to women
in their home parishes in Europe to assist and five women responded. They formed the foundation of the Missionary
Sisters of the Precious Blood, the order of nuns that still owns the Hospital today. |
|
During the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918, it became apparent that the three mud huts that were used
as a “hospital” were woefully inadequate and fundraising plans were implemented to build a modern hospital,
which was completed in 1927.
As word of the hospital spread and the numbers of patients grew, so grew
the need for skilled nursing staff, and in 1933, St Mary’s Nursing School opened its doors, the beginnings of
a facility with a reputation for training some of the finest nurses and midwives in South Africa. |
 |
|
|
| Although the Hospital is still owned by the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, the day-to-day running
has been handed over to a Trust. The Hospital is one of the two remaining Catholic Mission Hospitals in South Africa and the only one
that functions in the public health arena. |
| |
| Community |
|
| More than 750 000 people, living in the Inner and Outer West Operational Areas of the Durban Metropolitan area
rely on St Mary’s Hospital for medical care. The following statistics indicate the numbers of people from the
community that we support: |
|
| On an annual basis: |
|
|
|
| |
• |
15 000 people receive inpatient treatment in the Hospital; |
| |
• |
In excess of 64 000 people visit the outpatient clinics; |
| |
• |
6 000 babies come into the world via the Hospital’s Midwife Obstetric Unit; |
| |
• |
4 000 children are treated in the 45-bed Children’s ward. |
|
|
| Since its inception, the Hospital has catered primarily to the healthcare needs of the “poorest of the poor”,
living in rural and peri-urban areas. Most of our patients are not on medical aid and are financially unable to
make more than a token payment, if anything at all. |
| |
| Funding |
|
| Due to the shortage of government-run facilities in the area, St Mary’s Hospital operates as a level one
district hospital on behalf of the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Department of Health. In return for this service, the
Department of Health funds a percentage of the Hospital’s operational costs, this is calculated on an annual basis.
The 2005/2006 financial year saw operational assistance to the value of approximately 80% of the Hospital’s entire
operation and 90% of the Hospital itself. The remainder of the operational costs, as well as funding for any
special projects, is raised by the Hospital. |
|
| St Mary’s special projects focus on the comprehensive treatment of HIV/AIDs; as well as the Nursing College. |
| |
