Masina Hospital Case Study

Chapter 7: Contribution to Healthcare.
The contribution of the Jewish community of Bombay is not limited to education, economy, and architecture alone; they had some very important contributions in the field of healthcare as well. Earlier all initiatives behind medicine and public health were depicted to be entirely British efforts . However this thought was challenged by David Arnold who was a later scholar who states, “It is certainly important to recognize the extent to which western medicine in India relied upon state action for its propagation and to take into account the influence of Indian resistance to its development, it is also necessary to appreciate the role of Indian leadership and indigenous strategies….one largely neglected aspect
Masina Hospital is more than a century old. It is the first privately run Hospital which was established in 1902.This Hospital was established by Dr. Hormasji Manekji Masina. Dr. Masina acquired the palatial building called “Sans Souci” (which means “without care”, though care is at the heart of its business) from the well known Sassoon family. It was the first house of David Sassoon in Byculla and was initially the hub of activities of the Baghdadi Jews. David Sassoon was so impressed by the service rendered by Dr Homasji Manekji Masina that he gave the entire property, measuring around 8 acres for a humble sum of Rs.25, 000.
David Sassoon also donated 1,000 rupees to the Medical Women for India fund. . According to Shaul Sapir author of the book Bombay: exploring the Jewish urban heritage, the role of Flora Sassoon is very important while looking at the healthcare facilities in Bombay. He says, “She played a very important part in the plague epidemic in Bombay (especially), thousands were saved by her through her
On 14th August 1905, a number of prominent people of Bombay gathered at the Town Hall and resolved to erect a Memorial to the visit of the Prince of Wales (later King George V) in the form of a public Museum which, would be named after him. The meeting was attended by Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, Justice Badrudin Tyabji, Narotamdas Gokuldas, Justice Chandavarkar, Sassoon J. David and many other dignitaries known for their outstanding contribution in their respective fields and also in the development of the island of Bombay. Not only was Sassoon David part of the committee he also donated a Statue of Prince of Wales- George Frederick earnest Albert. The statue was financed from the donation by Sassoon David to commemorate the arrival of the Prince in Bombay in November 1905.
One of the most significant contributions from the Jewish community in terms of heritage structures is the Gateway of India which is located in Apollo Bunder on the coast of the Arabian Sea. The monumentary Gateway is one of the most famous landmarks of Bombay. It was built to commemorate the second visit of King George V and Queen Mary which took place between in 1911 -1912; Jacob Sassoon made large contribution of Rs. 300,000 towards the construction of the Gateway. An interesting donation of a spectacular organ was made by Sir Albert Sassoon to the Asiatic Society’s Town