At the end of the 19th century, the women of India were prepared to die rather than receive treatment in general hospitals in the presence of male patients.

When Queen Victoria was informed of the plight of these women, she asked Lady Hariot Dufferin, the wife of the Viceroy of India at that time, to help find a solution.

Lady Hariot Dufferin decided to establish hospitals exclusively for women and children.

These Dufferin Hospitals were located in Karachi, Quetta, Shikarpur & Hyderabad (now in Pakistan) and Delhi, Nagpor and Calcutta (in independent India) as well as one in the Burmese capital Rangoon.

In response to this appeal Mr. Eduljee Dinshaw, a renowned philanthropist, established the Lady Dufferin Hospital, Karachi, by a princely donation, in 1894 as a Charitable Institute.

The foundation laying ceremony of Eduljee Dinshaw Wing was performed on 12 November 1894 by Lady Elgin with Kincardine and completed in 1898.

Katrak Maternity Wing: The Foundation Stone was laid in August 1914 and the building was completed in June 1915.

The distinguishing feature of the Lady Dufferin is the quality of care provided to the patients irrespective of their financial status.

In view of this, the hospital administration decided to build a School of Midwifery including hostel facilities.

Isardas Asonmal Dispensary Building This stone structure was built in 1911 and renovated with the help of the Sindh Flood Relief Fund at a cost RS 7,000 in 1933.

It housed the Out-Patient and Ultrasound Departments for decades until 2009 when the OPD was shifted due to space constraints and the dilapidated state of the building.