A historic hospital

E-Paper | April 29, 2026

SIR Henry Holland Mission Eye Hospital was built in 1910 in Shikarpur. It was founded by Dr Henry Holland himself and financially supported by Seth Heeranand.

Unfortunately, it has been ruined owing to carelessness and negligence. Today it does not even appear to be a hospital. Shikarpur’s local builder mafia has started constructing a residential project in it, and the hospital building is mainly used to store goods, while shops continue to encroach upon the inner portion of the hospital.

Last time when some people tried to encroach upon shops in the area, a quick response by Shikarpur police not only stopped them but also demolished their shops.

I urge authorities concerned, including the ASP and lawmakers of the district to take action to restore the hospital and make it a public welfare institute again. A little effort can make it functional again.

Tassaduque Hussain
Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2019

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Waheed

May 14, 2019 12:51pm

The issue touches upon genuine grievances. In their hunger for more and more people have gone made. It's mandatory for any government to address such issues but again it's our collective responsibility to stay within both land and law limits.

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Struggle

May 14, 2019 01:11pm

This letter should awake present population of Shikarpur, as well as those who left the city for any reason and settled far away places. Really saddened to learn about battered condition of hospital and the city as whole. What has happened to residents of Shikarpur, why they don't find ways and means for uplift of their own town once known as Paris of Sindh.

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Robert J Charles

May 14, 2019 09:45pm

I have read this letter with a great deal of sadness. My mother, a much respected doctor, knew Sir Henry Holland very well and she worked as a highly respected colleague of his son Dr. Ronnie Holland in the Mission Hospital in Quetta for more than thirty years. As a youngster growing up there I played with Dr Ronnie's children. What a sad state of affairs your country has come to. Not only has it become a pariah amongst nations, successive governments have also disrespected the selfless devotion of the Holland family and my beloved mother, who gave so much medical care and service over so many years to the poor people of the province. Letting the Eye Hospital run down like this is an insult to their memories.

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