Durban - A R118-million plan was unveiled at the official launch of the KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital restoration project on Thursday.
The hospital, on the Durban Beachfront, was opened in 1931 and was the province's only specialist children's facility, built to the finest specifications, and filled with light and art.
In 1984 the hospital was closed and stood as a broken relic for a long time, but, now a three phase plan to upgrade the hospital has been put into place.
The project will take about two and a half years to complete. For a year, phase one will be devoted to the Children's Hospital and work in phase two will focus on the Old Nurses Home over a nine month period. In phase three, associated buildings on site will be completed over nine months.
The project is being driven by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health with assistance from NGOs, the Architectural Heritage Trust and Friends of the Children's Hospital - and once opened, children throughout the province will be admitted on a referral basis only.
KZN Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo attended the event and expressed gratitude to his department and all stakeholders "consisting of multiple donor groups and diverse professionals have worked tirelessly to initiate the restoration project".
Dhlomo confirmed the hospital will offer rehabilitation programmes on an intensive, short-term multi-disciplinary basis.
There will be palliative care; in-patient services; hospice facilities, training and research programmes focused on child health issues.
The hospital will also include a residential facility for the board and lodging of children's caregivers.
It will also continue the theme of private-public collaboration and intersectoral collaboration.
The KZN Health Department feels there is a huge potential for community participation in the renovation and rebuilding of the KZN Children's Hospital, even a need for it.
"It is a project for the community and it only makes sense that the community participates within it. We want to capture this community spirit," said Dhlomo.
