Hilda Mary LazarusCBE,MStJ,MRCS,FRCSE (23 January 1890 - died 1978) was a Christian missionary and popular gynecologist and obstetrician inIndia. She was Principal ofAndhra Medical College and Superintendent ofKing George Hospital atVisakhapatnam. She was also the first Indian director ofChristian Medical College and Hospital atVellore.[1]
Hilda was born on 23 January 1890 in Visakhapatnam in southern India.[2] Her grandparents converted toChristianity in the early 19th century, abandoning theirBrahmin identity. She was one of nine surviving children born to Eliza and Daniel Lazarus. Her father was a highly regarded Christian educator and author. She joined CBM high school for her primary education.
At theMadras University Lazarus completed a B.A. before obtaining her medical degree from theMadras Medical College and winning a gold medal for outstanding work inMidwifery. She later went toEngland to qualify for a medical degree and spent many years for several courses in medicine. In theUnited Kingdom, she passed medical examinations in London and Dublin. She obtained membership in theRoyal College of Surgeons and a specialization in obstetrics and gynecology. She was appointed to the Women's Medical Service (WMS) in India, the first Indian woman to obtain such an appointment. She was in government medical service from 1917 to 1947.
Lazarus entered her career with the WMS by serving briefly atLady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital,New Delhi. Established under government auspices in 1916 as the only fully professional medical college in India concerned exclusively with the training of women,Lady Hardinge was open to qualified students from all religious backgrounds. Lady Hardinge Medical College was thus unique within India, and it was to this institution that Lazarus returned in triumph in 1940 as its first Indian principal.
During the years that intervened, she worked in various parts of India, superintending hospitals, training nurses and midwives, and taking other steps to improve the quality of medical services for women and children. In addition to broadening her professional horizons and areas of expertise, these years also led her to acquire facility in several new Indian languages in addition to theTelugu andSanskrit that she had learned in childhood, along with English.
She wrote a book based on her experiences in England and served as the Director ofVellore Medical College between 1948 and 1954[3] and Chief Medical Officer at the Vellore hospital.[4] She served for some time in the Government General Hospital,Madras. In Visakhapatnam, she served as Principal ofAndhra Medical College and Superintendent of King George's Hospital. There is a Lazarus ward in theGovernment Victoria Hospital for Women and Child, where she also served.
Lazarus was appointed a Serving Sister (Member) of theVenerable Order of St. John by KingGeorge VI in January 1941,[5] and was awarded theKaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal in the British government's1942 Birthday Honours list.[6] She was further appointed a Commander of theOrder of the British Empire, Civil Division (CBE) in the1946 Birthday Honours list.[7] In 1961, theGovernment of India honored her with thePadma Shri award for her services.
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