St. Teresa's Hospital, Mirpurkhas
St. Teresa's Hospital is a hospital in Mirpurkhas, Sindh, Pakistan.[1][2][3]
History[edit]
St Teresa's Hospital was established in 1947 by Bishop Alcuin van Miltenburg, a Dutch Franciscan missionary, in collaboration with H.M.A. Drago, a Catholic doctor.[4] Initially established as a small clinic, the hospital expanded to a 92-bed facility in 1956.[4] The hospital's early operations, supported by Dutch and German medical volunteers, focused particularly on addressing the needs of refugees and the local Christian community during the partition period.[4]
In 1971, Bishop Bonaventure Paul of Hyderabad handed over the administration of the hospital to the Medical Mission Sisters.[4] A year later, the Midwifery School, started in 1968, gained accreditation.[4][5] It offered an 18-month course in Urdu, supported by the international agency Misereor.[4]
In 1987, St. Teresa's Hospital narrowed its focus to obstetrics and gynaecology due to a shortage of medical staff.[4] The hospital had initiated an outreach program back in 1972, collaborating with government immunization initiatives and the Rattanabad Agriculture Extension programme.[4] However, in 1985, the government took over the immunization programs that the hospital had been collaborating on.[4]
The 1980s witnessed further administrative evolution, with Sr Francis Webster conducting a survey of Catholic medical works and Sr Katherine Jobson establishing a Diocesan Medical Board.[4] Jobson, presumably in a role connected to the hospital, also developed a preventive healthcare program for the Christian Hospital Association of Pakistan and facilitated training for traditional birth attendants.[4]
In 2004, the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus assumed control of St. Teresa's Hospital, responding to challenges in personnel and funding.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ "St. Teresa's Hospital, Pakistan: community health project; vehicle for use as ambulance, Mirpurkhas, 1987-1990 | Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts". archives.bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
- ^ "late catholic doctor revered for service love of humanity". ucanews.com.
- ^ "St. Teresa's Hospital, Mirpurkhas" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Faria, Philomena (January 20, 2011). Hedlund, Roger E.; Athyal, Jesudas M.; Kalapati, Joshua; Richard, Jessica (eds.). The Oxford Encyclopaedia of South Asian Christianity. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198073857.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-807385-7 – via www.oxfordreference.com.
- ^ "Diocese of Hyderabad".