About Us

Msunduzi Hospice is a registered Not for Profit Organisation (Number: 007935 NPO). We are apolitical, interdenominational and non-racial. We are located in the city of Pietermaritzburg. Our City of Choice is the capital city of the Province of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa and is located 80 kilometers from the port city of Durban. We enjoy a sub-tropical climate and have a population of over half-a-million people.

Msunduzi Hospice Association has two offices. One is located in Prestbury and the other in Edendale. The administrative Head office is based in Prestbury. We do not have an in-patient unit but care for people in their homes, or in a hospital situation if that becomes inevitable.

Vision

Msunduzi Hospice Association seeks to provide and promote holistic quality care for all people living with a life threatening illness within the Msunduzi Health District.

Mission

To create a centre of excellence which provides and promotes quality of life, dignity in death, and bereavement support for patients and families faced with a life threatening illness through:
direct patient care, effective management systems, advocacy, training and empowerment of networking partners.

Strategic Objectives

1) To provide quality palliative care to patients and their families.
2) To promote awareness of palliative care and to influence policies that would advance palliative care.
3) To provide education, training and mentorship in palliative care, bereavement, grief and related topics.
4) To maintain and strengthen management systems and encourage a supportive and caring ethos throughout the organisation.
5) To develop strategic partnerships and networks with other organisations who could promote and / or provide quality palliative care.
6) To seek innovative ways of generating and accessing funds to support and sustain the mission of the organisation.
7) To be an information and knowledge driven organisation through effective monitoring, evaluation, research and reporting systems.

History

Msunduzi Hospice, originally known as The Pietermaritzburg Hospice Association, was founded in 1983 by a small group of people who recognised a need for the improvement for the quality of care of terminally ill people in this city. Sister Johnson became our first paid sister and it was under her aegis that the cornerstone of excellent and holistic care was established. Following on the principles of care of the body, mind and spirit introduced by the founder of the modern Hospice movement, Dame Cecily Saunders, Pietermaritzburg Hospice was launched, and dedicated itself to the care of terminally ill persons in the inner city of Pietermaritzburg. Initially operating from the home of Sister Johnson, in 1987 we were fortunate to be able to purchase a beautiful old house in Prestbury. Thanks to the generosity of the owner from whom we had been renting, and a wonderfully bountiful (anonymous) donation of R100 000 we were able purchase the building.

The organisation continued to grow and thrive under the leadership of Sister Johnson, followed by Sisters Robin Bennet and Agnes Swart and Maureen Snowden. In 1996 our social worker, Clare Wylie, took over the role of Hospice director. It is largely due to her inspirational leadership that we have achieved the competence and status we hold today. Clare retired in 2004 after having served Hospice for 21 years. Our current CEO is Warren Oxford-Huggett.

In 1999 The Pietermaritzburg Hospice Association amalgamated with the Edendale Hospice Association, to provide care for the larger metropolitan area of Pietermaritzburg. With the amalgamation came a name change and we became known as Msunduzi Hospice Association. A year later, another city Hospice, Rainbow Hospice, was assimilated into Msunduzi Hospice. Our goal in the present and future will be to continue to serve the city of Pietermaritzburg in caring for those in need of Hospice intervention in a holistic manner, enabling them to live fulfilling lives in spite of the diagnosis of a life threatening illness. We hope to expand our services to reach more patients and cover areas, which in the past we have been unable to cover. The HIV/Aids pandemic, is affecting the lives of thousands in our area and we believe that all these individuals should have access to Palliative care.