McCord is no longer a general hospital. It is McCord Provincial Eye Hospital, a specialist eye facility with 77 beds, and it takes referrals only. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health took it over in February 2014, and since then it has run at provincial level with no general outpatients department. You cannot walk in. The verified route is the provincial department on 0800 205 334, or the hospital’s public relations officer.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not the hospital or the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health.
If this is an eye emergency
Do not try to reach McCord. Go to a hospital emergency unit, or call 10177 or 112. A referral-only specialist hospital is not where an acute eye injury is dealt with first.
- Chemical splash to the eye: start flushing immediately, with clean water, for many minutes, before you travel anywhere. Time spent rinsing at the scene does more than time spent driving. Keep flushing on the way if you can.
- Sudden loss of vision, or sudden loss in one eye, is urgent and needs assessment the same day.
- A penetrating injury, or something embedded in the eye, must not be removed or pressed. Cover it without pressure and go.
- Take the container if a chemical is involved, so staff know what they are treating.
Verified contact routes
Read on KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health sources on 24 August 2026. The province publishes no direct switchboard for this hospital that we could read, so we do not print one.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| KZN Department of Health, toll free | 0800 205 334 |
| Queries and complaints about the hospital | Ask for the hospital’s public relations officer |
| Ambulance, nationally | 10177 or 112 |
| Health Ombud, standard of care | 080 911 6472 |
KwaZulu-Natal’s own model is that each hospital has a public relations officer who handles queries, complaints, suggestions and compliments. Ask for that post by title rather than by name, since the person changes.
How to actually get seen there
Every patient arrives by referral from another health care provider. There is no route that starts with phoning the hospital yourself.
- Start at a clinic or community health centre for an eye problem that is not an emergency.
- They refer you upward if specialist eye care is needed, and the referral is arranged between facilities.
- Keep the referral letter and your appointment slip. Without them you will not be seen, however far you have travelled.
- Bring your glasses, any previous eye records and your medicines, including drops, in their packaging.
Why so many people expect something else
McCord opened in May 1909, founded by Dr James McCord, who came to South Africa from the United States with his wife Margaret through the American Board Missions. For more than a century it was a well known Durban general hospital, latterly semi-private.
That reputation outlived the institution. People still arrive expecting general services, maternity, or a casualty department, none of which it now provides. If you were treated at McCord years ago, or were told to go there, check what the referral actually says before travelling. Fees follow the Uniform Patient Fee Schedule and are means-tested, as at any provincial hospital, rather than the semi-private rates it once charged.
Complaints
- Ask for the public relations officer at the hospital and get a reference number.
- Escalate to the eThekwini district office, then the provincial department on 0800 205 334.
- Then the Health Ombud on 080 911 6472.
- Conduct by a named practitioner goes to the HPCSA.
Related contact pages
- Healthcare contact pages
- Public hospitals and clinics contact details
- Complaints and escalation contact pages
- How to verify a contact number before you use it
Frequently asked questions
Is McCord Hospital still open?
Yes, but as McCord Provincial Eye Hospital, a specialist eye facility. It has not been a general hospital since the province took it over in February 2014.
Can I walk in?
No. There is no general outpatients department and every patient needs a referral from another health care provider.
What is the number for McCord Hospital?
The province publishes no switchboard we could verify. Use the KZN Department of Health on 0800 205 334, or ask for the hospital’s public relations officer.
Where do I go for an eye emergency in Durban?
A hospital emergency unit, or 10177 or 112. For a chemical splash, start flushing the eye with clean water immediately, before travelling.
Does it still deliver babies or run casualty?
No. It provides specialist eye care only, with 77 inpatient beds.
Details on this page were read on KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health sources on 24 August 2026. Where a detail has changed, the official source is always the authority.