Mitford Hospital

The hospital, originally named after the philanthropist Robert Mitford of the civil service, who served many years in Dhaka as collector and later, as judge of the Provincial Court of Appeal, was the most important medical institution, not only in Dhaka, but in the whole of Eastern Bengal and Assam in the mid-19th century. Robert Mitford died in Europe in 1836, but before his death he bequeathed the bulk of his property (about eight lakh rupees) to the Government of Bengal for public works in Dhaka. This was, however, disputed by his successors in England and finally the Chancery Court partially decreed in favor of the Bengal Government in 1850. With Mitford's benevolent gift, the construction of this hospital was started in 1854 on its present site, which was then known as Babu Bazar. Prior to this, the site was earlier occupied by a Dutch kuthi.

In 1887 a European ward (in patient department) was established in the hospital. The hospital, in addition to the main wards, accommodated lecture halls, dissecting rooms, an out-patients department and a European ward for in-patients. A medical school attached to the hospital was built in 1875. The present building was erected in 1889 which was mainly raised through private subscriptions. It accommodated two lecture halls, two separate dissecting rooms one for males and one for females, a laboratory, gymnasium and a hostel was added later.

Occupying an oblong area of about 12.8 acres of land on the river bank, the hospital complex comprises more than fourteen different blocks of no particular architectural significance but historically important and eminently of utilitarian character. Most of these blocks, built at different times in the last hundred years or more, and which originally were single-storeyed, have now been raised to four storeys.

The Medical College block is a fairly handsome large building located at the south-eastern corner near the river bank with an attractive large garden in front. It was originally erected in 1889, toughly in the shape on English ‘H’ with two symmetrical projections in the middle on the north and the south, one accommodating a verandah and the other, a staircase. It presents a 225’-0” long frontage to the north. Its foundation stone was laid by W.A. Larminie, M.I.C.S., commissioner of the Dhaka division, on 2 April 1887. Originally a single-storeyed building, three more storeys have now been added in the same style, together with a staircase In the middle of the projected southern side. A 15’-0” wide verandah in front of the building is carried on a series of semi-circular arches with prominent key-stones, alternated by dwarf rectangular brick pillars. A short wing on the west accommodates the principal’s two chambers. Abutting these on the east is a large lecture hall measuring 50’-0” X 30’-0” with a 10’-0” wide verandah on the south and a corridor on the east. Across the corridor and further to the east is another large lecture hall and beyond that are two more halls. The most eastern wing has another large hall measuring 50’-0” x 25’-0”. Corresponding to the western bay the eastern wing also has two apartments.

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Wikipedia