Calling all professionals, help rebuild the KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital

A concerned group of KwaZulu Natal businesswomen have come together in solidarity to raise funds for the KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital, they will be hosting a Charity Ball event on the 12th of March 2022 in aid of generating the much-needed funds required to assist in the restoration of the hospital - an iconic Durban landmark situated on our Golden Mile.

This hospital is one of the province's ways of caring for and significantly uplifting KZN's most vulnerable citizens. We do hope that you will lend support to a unique project founded on upholding the vital right of receiving healthcare in an effort to build brighter futures for all our children.

The KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital is a hospital like no other, having been constructed as the first dedicated facility for children on the African Continent. Yet the essence of the hospital lies not in its walls but its story, one of hope and healing for all children, a vision we hold true today.

Addington Children's Hospital (as it was formally named) was built in 1928. It was closed in 1984 by the government of the time as it offered treatment and care to children of colour. Perhaps as tragic as the circumstances under which it was closed, is the fact that buildings of great historical significance were allowed to degenerate into a dire state of dereliction over a span of 28 years. In December 2009, a sense of hope returned as the decision to renovate and re-establish the Children's Hospital was unanimously approved by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Cabinet.

Almost a quarter of the children and adolescents in South Africa reside in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal do provide routine general child health services; however, based on a needs assessment conducted across the province, gaps in services were identified. The KZN Children's Hospital will therefore serve to fill these gaps and not replicate existing services, but rather complement to them.

The vision for the hospital is to be a centre of excellence for paediatric neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health, and to function as a strategic part of healthcare delivery, providing a space for treatment, prevention and care that is accessible to all children and adolescents.

The KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital Trust was registered in 2011 to function as the fundraising and project management arm for the re-establishment of the Children's Hospital and to drive infrastructure development. The Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees who are accountable for overall governance and strategic direction and ensuring compliance and accountability. The Trust is a registered Non-Profit Organisation and Public Benefit Organisation with S18A status.

The Trust works together with the KZN Provincial Health Department in a private-public partnership to re-establish the Children's Hospital. The KZN Department of Health owns the 3.5 acre property which is designated for "child health use" in the title deed. The Department contributes funding for infrastructural work and is responsible for operational costs once refurbishment is completed. Government, as the custodians of health, will ensure sustainability of the project by budgeting for all operational costs of the hospital in the longer term.

The hospital renovation commenced in 2012 and has seen the renovation of the external facade and replacement of the roof of two heritage buildings, the Main Old Children's Hospital Building and the Old Nurses' Home. In addition, an outpatient facility (Neurodevelopment Assessment Centre) was handed over to the KZN Department of Health in July 2013 and has catered to the needs of 25 000 young patients since opening. A basement parking for 120 vehicles has also been constructed, with the basement structure designed to allow for a new 6-storey medical building.

Recent renovations included a new Psychology Centre and Centre for Adolescent Health within the Main Old Children's Hospital Building, and the renovation of the ground floor of the 3-storey Old Nurses Home building. Major donors have come on board in support of the project, including the Elton John AIDS, Anglo American and USAID to name a few.

All cash donations and payment for ticket sales and items auctioned are to be made directly to the KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital Trust. The ticket price includes the cost of the event of R750.00 and a cash donation to the KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital Trust of R2,000.00. All cash donations qualify for a S18A tax receipt, which will be issued by the Trust upon receipt of funds.

The group consists of Dr Shen Govender Ð Specialist Psychiatrist, Dr Keshika Singh- Specialist Psychiatrist, Dr Mayurie Ramdhial - Specialist Psychiatrist, Shivani Singh - Commercial M&A Law Specialist, Atisha Ghela - Atisha Ghela & Associates, Owner & Practicing Attorney, Sivashni Moodley - Vumela IT Services, Managing Director, Dr Pamela Moodley - Ampath, Specialist Haematologist, Dr Anuschka Coovadia - Usizo Advisory Solutions, Partner Tarannum Parbhoo - The Pencil, Events Manager, Taryn Millar - KZN Children's Hospital Trust, CEO, Camilla Singh - KZN Children's Hospital Trust, Treasurer Mishka Jugnundan - KZN Children's Hospital Trust, Marketing Lead.

For more information visit https://www.kznchildrenshospital.org, or email mjugnundan@childrenshospital.org