Ruttonjee Hospital is a hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

 in Wan Chai

Wan Chai

Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...

 on Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...

 in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. It is affiliated with the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong is the older of the two medical schools in Hong Kong , and is among the oldest in the Far East.-History:...

, at the University of Hong Kong, and provides clinical attachment opportunities for the university's medical students.

History

Centrally located in Wan Chai, the Ruttonjee Hospital is a recently-redeveloped hospital with a history that goes back more than 140 years. It was founded on the Mount Shadwell, Wan Chai site which was occupied by the "Royal Naval Hospital", which was severely damaged during the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

In 1949, the "Ruttonjee Sanatorium" (律敦治療養院) was set up with the support of Mr Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee

Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee

Jehangir Hormujee Ruttonjee was a Parsee in Hong Kong. He is famous for founding the Ruttonjee Sanatoriums and helped in the establishment of the Hong Kong Anti-Tuberculosis Association.-Biography:...

 in memory of his daughter, Tehmi Ruttonjee-Desai, who died of tuberculosis in 1943. It was one of the main institutions specifically treating tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

 in Hong Kong.

It was converted into the "Ruttonjee Hospital", a 600-bed general hospital, in 1991 not only because the number of patients suffering from tuberculosis had decreased, but also because patients are increasingly treated by out-patient chemotherapy. The hospital now provides a wide range of services to meet the requirements of the community.

Since reconstruction, the hospital has become an acute general hospital with general medical and surgical specialities. It does not, however, provide paediatric, obstetric or gynaecological cover. Its surgical department enjoys high acclaim as the Ruttonjee is the only hospital in Hong Kong to provide sex-change operations. The geriatrics service has also developed in recent years in response to the aging population of the Wan Chai district.

Controversy

On Wednesday 31st of March 2010 the Hong Kong High Court approved a settlement in the legal action brought by British author Martin Jacques

Martin Jacques

Martin Jacques is a British former magazine editor and academic. He was born and raised in Coventry. He was an undergraduate student at Manchester University, where he graduated with a first-class honours degree, and subsequently studied for a PhD at King's College, Cambridge.He was editor of the...

 over the death of his wife Harinder Veriah, who was hospitalized in Ruttonjee Hospital after an epileptic fit on the 1st of January 2000 and died the following evening; the case seemed to exposed racial prejudice and medical negligence by doctors and staff.

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