The Taxila Christian Hospital ( ur, ٹیکسلا کرسچن ہسپتال), also known as Christian Hospital Taxila, is an eye hospital in

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and ...

, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located on 30 acres adjacent to the remnants of the Gandhara civilization. It is one of the largest eye care facilities in Pakistan.

History

Taxila Christian Hospital was founded in 1920 by the Presbyterian Church of the United States. In 1921, a piece of land was acquired which was located roughly 20 miles west of Rawalpindi. The acquisition process involved 23 separate deed transactions, with the landowners demanding payment in cash, resulting in the transportation of silver coins from Rawalpindi to Taxila via a bullock cart. The hospital's first

surgical operation Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

took place in 1922 inside a tent, conducted by Dr. Gregory Martin, with only a lantern for illumination and the assistance of an individual named Gordon. Until the late 1940s, the hospital served as a healthcare provider to the local community. The focus shifted towards ophthalmology with the arrival of Dr. Norval Christy and Dr. Kargaard in 1947. On August 9, 2002, a grenade attack on the hospital's chapel resulted in four fatalities, including two nurses and a paramedic, and injured 25 others.

References

{{reflist Eye hospitals in Pakistan Hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan Hospitals established in 1920 1920 establishments in British India Christian hospitals in Pakistan