About Hospital

Dr. H.Gordon Roberts was the founder of the hospital. He arrived in Shillong in 1913 and started work with a small Dispensary at Mission Compound near the KJP Girls’ High School. He started the construction of the building of the hospital in 1915 with the permission given by the government of Assam. The work was started on the edge of the town, in the part called Jaiaw where it stands to this date. The hospital was officially opened on the 25 March, 1922 by the then Governor of Assam, Sir William Marris as a 90 bedded hospital and was known as the Khasi Hills Welsh Mission Hospital. Thus Dr. Roberts was the founder and the first Chief Medical Officer of the hospital which till this day is still known as “Dr. Roberts Hospital” by many people.

For many years the hospital was one of the few institutions in the north east of India in which major surgery could be performed. Dr. R. A. Hughes, a very qualified Surgeon with additional training in tropical medicine came to Shillong in March 1939 and he became Senior Medical Officer in 1942 on the retirement of Dr. H.G. Roberts. He expanded the Hospital in respect of accommodation, introduced the latest operating techniques, started the first blood bank in Shillong, introduced the latest anesthetic machine (EMO) and other facilities like the boiler generating steam for the hospital. He was assisted by Khasi doctors such as Dr. Drin Sing Hynniewta who joined from 1928 in the Department of O&G and Dr. (Miss) O. Roy as an anaesthetist. From time to time Missionary doctors came to help Dr. Hughes, among them were Dr. Stanley Russell and Dr. P.A. Shave.

With the departure of the Missionaries, when Dr. R.A. Hughes retired in 1969 the responsibility of running the hospital fell on the shoulder of the Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod and Dr. E.C. Synkon was appointed as senior Medical Officer, Dr. S. P. Sen. Gupta as the Surgeon Superintendent and Mr. O. Gilbert as the Secretary of the Hospital. After a brief spell as surgeon, Dr. S. P. Sen. Gupta left in 1972 and Mr. O. Gilbert due to ill health retired from service.

In 1981 at the KJP Synod meeting held at Mawlai “ Phudmawri once again change the name of the hospital to “ The Khasi and Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Hospital, Jaiaw Shillong. Dr. P. Lamare took over as the Medical Superintendent and Secretary of the Managing Committee of the Hospital.