Physiotherapy
The Department of Physiotherapy at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is the only training centre for physiotherapists in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The Department of Physiotherapy was established in 1964 at King Edward VIII (KEH) hospital between the old Natal Provincial Administration (NPA) and the University of Durban Westville (UDW), under the leadership of Prof Schultze, who was a Physical Medicine Specialist. He questioned the absence of non-white physiotherapists in the apartheid era and he proposed that KEH become the training centre for non-white physiotherapists. All non-white students were recruited from all of the four old South African provinces. They were to study for a National Diploma in physiotherapy and serve the whole country during this time. There were also students from Swaziland and Lesotho. Prof Schultze was the National Head of Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Remedial Services in South Africa. He was a medical doctor based at KEH in charge of Training and ALL rehabilitation services (OT, PT Speech and Hearing etc) for the country. Miss Gwen Jones from England was the first head of department (HOD) of the school of physiotherapy and, of course, all lecturers were white at that time. Shiela Blackwood and Charles Liggins joined the school in 1968. Between 1964 and1973, a Diploma in Physiotherapy was offered. Student intake was small at this time, with about 12 students entering the programme each year in 1974, the first batch of BSc Physiotherapy students was enrolled for a degree programme.
Mrs Margaret Rhode (an ex UKZN lecturer) was in the second batch of 12 students who were assisted by Prof Schultze in obtaining the NPA bursary. Only four of these students graduated in 1979. Miss Jones was HOD, followed by Mr Liggins interchangeably as he used to travel to the UK often. There were six Joint Health Establishment Posts between NPA and UDW. The other lecturers were Professor Gounden, Miss Marilyn Ashby, Miss Anne Bandle and Mrs Gumede, who made headlines as the first Black lecturer to be appointed at UDW. This degree programme continued up until 1980. Anatomy, physiology and clinical sciences lecturers were done together with medical school students. In 1981, Thaya Nadasan (current UKZN senior lecturer) was in the first batch for the BPhysio degree (15 students), which is still continuing to date. Only four of these 15 students graduated in 1985. Anatomy, done together with the first batch of occupational therapy students, and physiology was done on Westville campus along with biology, physics, chemistry and psychology. All physiotherapy lectures, at that time, were still done in KEH. Miss Nadasan was appointed in the Joint Health Establishment post in 1988 to date. Clinical training started in the second year, taking place mainly at KEH, which had 2500 beds, with all clinical areas/blocks such as general surgery, medicine, ICU, respiratory unit run, outpatients and O&G. In addition, cardiology, neurology ICU and rehabilitation, paediatric neurology, hydrotherapy/outpatients were implemented at Wentworth hospital, Spes Nova and Workman’s Accident and Rehabilitation Centre (at St Augustine’s Hospital) respectively.