Harriet Benson Memorial Hospital (HBMH) began in Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh, as a mission station in 1890, and by 1934 a hospital offering regular medical work was in place. People in the surrounding area are very familiar with the hospital because many of them were born there!

Over the last few years, difficulty in recruiting and retaining doctors has severely limited the services offered, and therefore the income. Yet the nurses and support staff have faithfully continued to work, often with no pay. In 2025, the hospital’s outpatient department was closed for two months, and the inpatient department was closed for eight months. But also in 2025, a new general medicine physician, Dr. Sumeir, joined their team of seven nurses and has opened up new possibilities for more hospital services.

In India, only OB/GYNs are allowed to deliver babies, so the hospital staff have brought in a local consultant almost daily to provide this key service. Likewise, HBMH has an ophthalmology department but no specialist, so a visiting ophthalmologist has been coming in to operate during their eye camps twice a month.

The Palliative Care program at Harriet Benson is the oldest in EHA, and their small teams care for about 170 patients each month! The hospital also runs a Disability and Rehabilitation program in nearby communities, and this service is essential for many. The strength of these two programs is significant.

The immediate goals for the team at HBMH are to re-establish reliable inpatient services, increase outpatient and inpatient traffic, strengthen referral networks, and rebuild the hospital’s reputation as a trusted healthcare provider.

Harriet Benson Memorial Hospital remains committed to its mission of bringing hope, healing, and love to the people of Lalitpur. By God’s grace and through partners like you, we believe HBMH can once again become a thriving center of excellence that transforms lives and communities through compassionate healthcare.