KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital

KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital
Geography
Location	Durban, South Africa
Coordinates
Organisation
Type	Specialist
Services
Speciality	Children's hospital
History
Opened	1928
Closed	1984
Links
Website	www.kznchildrenshospital.org.za
Lists	Hospitals in South Africa

The KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital, formerly known as the Addington Children's Hospital, was the first hospital for children on the African continent. It was built in 1928 in Durban, South Africa. However, in 1984, during the height of the struggle against Apartheid, the hospital was closed by the government because it provided services to children of all races in an area designated for 'white' people. Over the next 28 years, the buildings fell into a state of disrepair.

In 2012, efforts began to re-establish the hospital as a specialized provincial public sector children's hospital, now known as the KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital. The aim was to address adolescent and child health and welfare issues, poverty, and urban renewal.

The KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital is designed to be cost-effective, environmentally-friendly, and financially sustainable. It primarily provides ambulatory specialist healthcare for the youth of the province, regardless of their socio-economic background or social standing. The hospital serves as a referral center to district and regional hospitals in the province, filling gaps in current public sector services without duplicating existing facilities.

The re-establishment project follows a non-profit public-private partnership model. The KwaZulu-Natal Children's Hospital Trust, established in 2011, serves as the fundraising and project management arm for the hospital. It is registered as a non-profit organization and has received Public Benefit status from the South African Revenue Services. The trust works in collaboration with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, which owns the hospital property, under a Memorandum of Agreement and a Service Level Agreement.