A new Emergency Department, equipped with cutting-edge technologies, has been inaugurated at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Hyderabad, a Catholic health facility managed by the diocese, with 150 beds, founded in Pakistan in 1958. This is what Fr. Robert McCulloch, a missionary of St Columban, for over 30 years president of the board of directors of the hospital, now General Procurator of the Missionary Society of St Columban reports to Agenzia Fides.
The missionary says to Fides: «I am very happy for the conclusion of this new ward which will offer emergency care to all those who need it. The new work was made possible thanks to the collaboration of all, public bodies, donors, missionaries, doctors. We thank the institutions for their help: this work will be in favor of the population of all cultures and religions, without any discrimination». «Our hospital – continues Fr. Mc Culloch – intends to better care, with passion, compassion, and competence, offering appropriate care even to the poorest. And, through this work, it wants to give glory to God, announce and witness the Gospel of love and mercy in Pakistan».
The Bishop of Hyderabad, Mgr. Samson Shukardin OFM was present at the inauguration ceremony of the new ward, held on 12 September, who recalled how, thanks to the work of the hospital, «the Pakistani Catholic Church testifies to being an integral part of society, helping to heal their wounds, and contributes to improving relations of peace, dialogue and harmony, working for the common good of the country». The ward, it is noted, may also be useful in the fight against the coronavirus.
The hospital is an institution of excellence and is a reference point for the people of Hyderabad and the poorest areas of the Sindh province. Over 40 thousand people, of all cultures, ethnicities, and religions, inhabitants of the villages of the province regularly use health services, often offered for free.
It is not only a hospital but also a facility that constantly works for the training of nurses and midwives. Founded in 1958, non-profit, it is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad and is managed by the Medical Council of the Diocese. Since 1975 it has welcomed specialized Pakistani personnel such as doctors, nurses, midwives.
Among the other services offered, the hospital is known because, in the Christian perspective of compassion, it offers home palliative care to cancer patients, with pain control therapy: this is an absolute first experience at a national level and confirms the hospital as a valuable institution for the territory of the city of Sindh province and for all of Pakistan.
