The Lady Dufferin Hospital established at the end of the 19th Century by Lady Hariot Dufferin – the wife of Viceroy of India at that time. When the women of India were prepared to die rather than receive treatment in general hospitals in he presence of male patients. When Queen Victoria was informed of the plight of these women, she asked Lady Hariot Dufferin to help find a solution. Lady Hariot Dufferin decided to establish hospitals exclusively for women and children. These Dufferin Hospitals were located in Karachi, Quetta, Shikarpur & Hyderabad in Pakistan and Delhi, Nagpur and Calcutta in India. She appealed to the local philanthropists to donate to the Dufferin Fund in order to build these hospitals. In response to her appeal Mr. Eduljee Dinshaw, a renowned philanthropist, established the Lady Dufferin Hospital,- Karachi, by a princely donation of Rs. 100,000/-, in 1894, as a Charitable Institute. The foundation laying ceremony of Eduljee Dinshaw Wing was performed on the12th of November 1894 by Lady Elgin and Kincardine and completed by 1898.
At the partition of India the Dufferin group of hospitals that belong to Pakistan met with different fates. The Karachi Hospital becomes an independent hospital managed by a committee of philanthropists and socially conscious Karachites. Because of its independence the hospital prospered while the rest of them were closed down.
Over a 120 years, since its inception the hospital has evolved into a state-of-the-art medical facility providing obstetric, gynecological and neo-natal pediatric services. Its philosophy has always been to provide the best possible medical care and modern facilities, irrespective of the socio-economic background of the patient.
The value system at the Lady Dufferin dictates that all patients are provided the same quality of care and attention regardless of their affordability – in line with the intentions of the founders and benefactors of the hospital. The hospital has one of the lowest maternal mortality rate-25.36 per 100,000 live births among other Pakistan’s charity hospitals, comparatively.The maternal mortality rate in Pakistan is 276 per 100,000 live births, one of the highest in the world.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Today, the Lady Dufferin Hospital has a capacity of 300 beds with 4 operation theatres, prenatal & postnatal wards, ultrasound department, neo-natal intensive care unit, labor room, consulting rooms, private &semi-private rooms, outpatient department (OPD), family planning services, 24 hour laboratory, radiology and pharmacy.
The hospital is one of the largest reputable maternity hospitals in Pakistan. It owns and utilizes state-of-the-art equipment, enabling the staff to provide comprehensive obstetric, gynecological and neonatal healthcare.
The services comprise deliveries, advanced hysteroscopy/laparoscopic surgery, cancer surgery and infertility (including IVF as a satellite unit). The Neo-natal Intensive Care unit at the Lady Dufferin Hospital provides critical care at highly subsidized rates. We have recently added another modern high-tech ventilator and a bubble CPAP unit, providing free ventilator support for neonates.