St Stephen's Hospital, Delhi
St Stephen's Hospital Delhi is one of the oldest and the largest private Hospitals in Delhi.[1] The hospital today has 600 beds[2] and is presently a superspeciality tertiary care hospital offering comprehensive care covering all major clinical specialities and most super-specialities.[3] The institution started as a dispensary in 1876 by the Delhi Female Medical Mission, on the banks of river Yamuna. The hospital was later established in 1885[4] as a small facility with 50 beds in Chandni Chowk and opened by Lady Dufferin, Vicereine of India.[5] It was the first hospital for women and children.[6]
![](../I/m/Old_Hospital_Building.jpg)
St Stephen's Hospital | |
---|---|
![]() St. Stephen's Hospital, Delhi | |
![]() | |
Geography | |
Location | Tis Hazari, New Delhi, India |
Organisation | |
Funding | Non-profit hospital |
Type | Specialist, Teaching |
Affiliated university | National Board of Examinations for Medical Postgraduate Courses Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University for Nursing Courses |
Services | |
Emergency department | Yes |
Beds | 600 |
History | |
Opened | 1885 |
Links | |
Website | https://www.ststephenshospital.org/ |
Lists | Hospitals in India |
Education
St Stephen's Hospital was the first one to begin training the Indian women as nurses in 1867.[7] The training School for nurses was started under Alice Wilkinsonβthe first trained British nurse who joined the hospital in 1908.[8] Wilkinson became the hospital's nursing superintendent. She also founded the Trained Nurse's Association of India and worked as its secretary until 1948.[9] The first school of nursing in India was started much later in 1871 at Government General Hospital, Chennai.
The hospital is also one of the major teaching hospitals offering speciality and superspeciality courses affiliated to the National Board of Examinations and recognized by the Medical Council of India. The hospital also won the national award from the National Board of Examinations for the excellence in teaching in the Diplomate of National Board programme[10]
The hospital also trains laboratory technicians to perform standardized Hemophilia tests under the aegis of Hemophilia Federation of India[11]
Research
![](../I/m/St_Stephen's_Hospital.jpg)
The hospital has a rich tradition contributing to research and knowledge advancing healthcare. Records of publications from the institute date back to 1894[12] on surgical procedures to much recent on red cell abnormalities.[13] The hospital also contributed to the World Health Organization Trauma Care Checklist Program Care Process Measures.[14] An active research group works in the area of gestational diabetes[15] and Rheumatology.[16]
The organisation is recognized by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India.
History
The hospital was started as 50 bedded facility in Chandni Chowk , overlooking Queen's Gardens[17] now known as Company Bagh way back in 1885 as a hospital for women and children. It was the dream of the Delhi Female Medical Mission to operate in a hospital. The St. Stephen's Hospital for Women and Children was founded in memory of Priscilla Winter, founder of Delhi Female Medical Mission[18] In the late 1890s, the Mission's treated around 600-700 patients in the new hospital, 15,000 at the dispensaries, and 1,200 through home visits[19]
![](../I/m/Commemorative_centenary_postcard_released_in_1985.jpg)
The hospital was centrally located in old Delhi and was the first hospital solely dedicated to the care of women and children in Delhi.[20] The hospital was known for its thorough hygiene and discipline. Although the hospital initially first lacked both resources and staff, it began to take off in 1891.
The hospital hired their first female doctor, Jenny Muller, a woman of Indian-German origins who had attended the London School of Medicine for Women. In 1893, a second female doctor, Mildred Staley joined.[21]
The hospital building was opened by Lady Dufferin, Vicereine of India. The foundation stone for the old hospital building at Tis Hazari was laid in 1906 and the hospital was opened in 1909.[22]
The maternity block at Tis Hazari campus was opened in 1969 by Indira Gandhi the Prime Minister of India. The foundation stone for the General Hospital was laid in 1972 by V. V. Giri the President of India and opened by Indira Gandhi in 1976[23] . The mother and child block was later named after Dr Lucy Oommen, the first Indian medical director of the institute and a Padma Shri awardee by Dr.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the President of India
A commemorative stamp was issued by the postal department in 1985[24] with the picture of the central hospital building and the first day cover depicting the first hospital building at Chandni Chowk.
![](../I/m/St-Stephens-Hospital-3-Marie-Hayes-Ward.jpg)
Notable personalities
The hospital has contributed a number of notable personalities in modern day India
Dr. Marie Elizabeth Hayes, Medical Professional
Dr. Lucy Oommen, Padma Shri awardee.
Dr Balu Sankaran professor, scientist and recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Vibushan awards.
Dr. Mathew Varghese, who runs India's only polio ward[25]
![](../I/m/St_Stpehen's_Hospital_Delhi.jpg)
Community Health Centre
The Community Health Centre, established in 1981 and inaugurated by Jagmohan, the then Lt Governor of Delhi and situated in Nand Nagri serve people with preventive, pro motive, curative & rehabilitative care[26]
Last polio ward in India
The hospital also runs the distinction of running the last polio ward in the country.[27] While, India eradicated polio in 2011, millions live with the scars left over by the disease.[28] The ward run by Dr Mathew Varghese, a renowned orthopedic surgeon who provides care, treatment and rehabilitation to individuals debilitated by polio[29]
References
- ": : . St.Stephen's Hospital ". www.ststephenshospital.org. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "St. Stephen's Hospital, first women's and children's hospital in Delhi".
- "St Stephen's hospital in city". Hindustan Times. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- Abraham, Thomas. "People's doc, polio warrior". @businessline. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- ": : . St.Stephen's Hospital - History ". www.ststephenshospital.org. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "Missionary women doctors in nineteenth century Delhi".
- "Nursing in India".
- "Missionary women doctors in nineteenth century Delhi".
- Healey, Madelaine (7 August 2014). Indian Sisters. doi:10.4324/9781315734149. ISBN 9781315734149.
- "Welcome To National Board Of Examination". natboard.edu.in. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "About Hemophilia Federation (India)".
- Staley, Mildred (1894). "Incision of Cervix in Certain Complicated Labour Cases". Ind Med Gaz. 29 (10): 367β369. PMC 5197411. PMID 29001660.
- Khanduri, Uma (2004). "Unique red cell abnormality in a case of fatal methylene blue induced haemolysis". Hematology. 9 (3): 239β41. doi:10.1080/10245330410001701576. PMID 15204106.
- Lashoher, Angela (2017). "Implementation of the World Health Organization Trauma Care Checklist Program in 11 Centers Across Multiple Economic Strata: Effect on Care Process Measures". World J Surg.
- Punnose, John (2019). "Bimodal distribution of fasting, one and two hour post load plasma glucose in Asian Indian pregnant women without pre-gestational diabetes: Gestational age related changes". J Clin Transl Endocrinol.
- "Publications". sandhya. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- Davis, R. W. (2013). Religion and Irreligion in Victorian Society : Essays in Honor of R.K. Webb. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 9781135087487. OCLC 826930438.
- "Delhi Female Medical Mission", Wikipedia, 8 July 2018, retrieved 9 July 2019
- O'Connor, Daniel. (2000). Three centuries of mission : the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1701-2000. Continuum. ISBN 0826449891. OCLC 45338566.
- "Welcome". St. Stephen's Hospital. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- O'Connor, Dan. "From medicine chest to mission hospitals: the early history of the Delhi Medical Mission for women and children." In Three Centuries of Mission: The United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 1701-2000. online: Google E-Book , 2000. 341-355.
- "Healing of Body and Soul: Female Medical Missionaries" (PDF).
- ": : . St.Stephen's Hospital - History ". www.ststephenshospital.org. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "St. Stephen's Hospital, Delhi". www.istampgallery.com. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "Dr Mathew Varghese: The polio warrior who wants his ward empty". Hindustan Times. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "Community Health Department β St. Stephen's Hospital". Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "Meet the Doctor Who Runs India's Last Polio Ward". Time. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "Dr Mathew Varghese: The polio warrior who wants his ward empty". Hindustan Times. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- N, Durgesh; Jan 27, an Jha | TNN | Updated; 2018; Ist, 21:08. "Dr Matthew Varghese: Delhi orthopaedic doctor who fights polio is Bill Gates's real-life hero | Delhi News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 July 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)