IFP Spokesperson on Health, Ms Hilda Msweli, had the following to say about the closure of the McCord Hospital; “On Friday, the 104-year-old McCord hospital is set to close, mainly because negotiations between the provincial health department and the hospital’s board have failed.
“The reduction in funding, specifically when the department refused to renew the annual subsidy to the hospital, has now forced the hospital to close its doors. This will mean that all hospital staff will be unemployed; but the greatest casualty will be Durban’s poor, as they were the main recipients of healthcare services.
“It is unacceptable that this hospital is being allowed to close down and the provincial health department should have ensured that this closure does not happen.
“As we celebrate heritage day on the 24th September, the Durban provincial health department should be treating McCord hospital as part of Durban’s heritage, as it has been operating for 104 years. All avenues should be exhausted before allowing such a hospital to shut down, because it means we are neglecting to preserve the very heritage we claim to celebrate, while removing accessible healthcare from the reach of the poor.”
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