St Augustine's: a rich history of service
The old picture today, taken from the Facebook site Durban Down Memory Lane shows one of Durban’s Institutions, St Augustine’s Hospital, from the entrance in Chelmsford Road (today JB Marks Road).
The hospital has a rich history of having served the KwaZulu-Natal community for over 130 years.
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.
Today ‘The San’, as it is often affectionately referred to, has extended in all directions and today boasts some 469 beds, 16 operating theatres, advanced medical technology, and some 140 highly skilled and experienced specialists. It has a state of the art electronic medical record system.
The 24 hour emergency department is an accredited Level 2 trauma centre and there’s an on-site helipad and a Netcare 911 base.
Other specialised facilities include a bariatric centre, cardiac renal dialysis, transplant, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy units, a fertility laboratory, radiology and pathology services.
Commenting on the hospital’s 125th anniversary in 2017, general manager Heinrich Venter said: “The hospital has made a great contribution to 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 hospital has been a constant and reassuring presence for the sick and injured in the greater Durban area,” said Dr Leon Rajah, an orthopaedic surgeon and chairman of the hospital’s Physicians Advisory Board. “While rapidly advancing technology has allowed us to provide better and better care, we remain committed to maintaining our caring human touch.”
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.
“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.”
ENT surgeon, Dr Walter Hackmann, says he is proud to have been a part of the St Augustine’s family for the past 50 years.
“I feel most privileged to have spent my entire ENT career at this outstanding institution,”
The hospital has shown a high degree of innovation throughout its history. In 1982, a full body scanner was introduced while it also performed the first laser angioplasty in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2000 Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital became the first hospital in Durban to open a hyperbaric medicine centre.