THE Department of Health is set to take over the running of St Mary’s Hospital as a public health facility, at the end of April 2017.
This follows financial issues encountered in running St Mary’s Hospital. The trustees of insolvent estate of St Mary’s Catholic Mission Hospital Trust together with the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood and the KwaZulu-Natal Government, have agreed to begin negotiations on the planned disposal of the institution.
In 1995, the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood ran into difficulties because of escalating costs. In an effort to continue to serve the people, the business of the hospital and all its assets were sold and transferred to an independent trust, the St Mary’s Catholic Mission Hospital Trust, that took over the ownership and operation of the hospital and has since looked after the affairs of the hospital, with the Sisters continuing to own the land.
In a press briefing in Durban on Thursday, 29 September, KZN Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, said they have and will always appreciate the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood for their pioneering role since 1927 in establishing schools and hospitals to serve communities in the areas where the Missionary Sisters carried out their missionary work.
“Unfortunately, the costs of the hospital kept escalating and this led to the hospital trust being finally sequestrated and wound up by the High Court.
“The business of the hospital is under the direct control of the trustees, for the time being, of the insolvent estate St Mary’s Catholic Mission Hospital Trust who are operating the hospital pursuant to the provisions of the law relating to insolvent estates,” said Dhlomo.
St Mary’s Hospital is a 200-bed, level 1 district Hospital, serving a population of approximately three million and acts as a referral hospital for about 15 provincial and municipal primary healthcare clinics as well as two community health centres (CHCs).
St Mary’s is the only district hospital in the area and services community from Cato Ridge, Inchanga, Mpumalanga, Hammarsdale; Shongweni Dam, KwaNgcolosi, Waterfall, Molweni, Gillitts, Hillcrest, Stockville, Kloof, Mpola, Tshelimnyama, Mariannhill, Pinetown, Ashley, Wyebank, Clermont and New Germany.
The major roleplayers all agreed that there is a need for continued public health service in the west. “The Trust is ready, in principle, to sell and hand over respectively the property of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood on which the hospital is established, and the operation and assets of the hospital that are owned by the trustees of the insolvent estate, and the government is willing to buy.
Department of Health geared to take over the running of the hospital as a public health facility at the end of April 2017, the beginning of its financial year, subject to terms and conditions to be negotiated.
“We would also like to pronounce that both the KZN Provincial Government, the trustees of insolvent estate St Mary’s Catholic Mission Hospital Trust and the Sisters of the Precious Blood are very committed to working closely to ensure, insofar as is practical, a positive and holistic outcome that will be in the best interest of all concerned, including the employees of St Mary’s Hospital and the community at large,” said Dr Dhlomo.
He added that they have also agreed to preserve the ethos and standards of care and ethical principles that have governed St Mary’s as a hospital, based on integrity, compassion for all the patients, commitment to quality service as well as mutual respect to all co-workers and patients.
