Hospital celebrates 125 years
Netcare St Augustine's Hospital celebrated 125 years of service to the greater Durban community.
THE corridors of Durban’s landmark Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital commemorated its 125th jubilee recently, with doctors, nurses, other healthcare professionals and patients all joining in the celebration.
Commenting on the anniversary, Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital general manager, Heinrich Venter said: “We are delighted and proud to be celebrating this very special occasion. The hospital has made a great contribution in the community over the years, with staff having cared for and touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients and their families. Today the hospital remains a beacon of hope for the people of Durban and indeed from further afield, who continue to rely on its specialised, world-class healthcare services. The 125th anniversary is a milestone for the hospital, and it is most gratifying to know that we are a part of such a rich legacy.”
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One of the oldest hospitals in the country, Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital developed from humble beginnings as it was initially established in 1892 by nine Augustinian sisters from France as a sanatorium to treat tuberculosis patients. The regional director of Netcare’s coastal region, Craig Murphy, said that ‘The San’, as it is often affectionately referred to, has become an integral part of the community, which it has served with distinction and dedication, and has played an important role in the development of private medicine within KwaZulu-Natal.
Ruth Naude, a recently retired registered nurse who served in the paediatric ward of the hospital for 35 years, remembers her time at the historic facility with the greatest fondness.
“When my son was born prematurely and diagnosed with Down Syndrome, the support, understanding and love received from the entire hospital was wonderful, and this certainly helped to get me through a most difficult time. I once nursed a critically ill baby girl who had lost her hearing due to meningitis. Her parents returned to see me when she was two years old, and again after she had matriculated and was about to enter university, to let me know how well she had progressed. These were among my most rewarding and memorable occasions of my time at the hospital.”
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