By Dr. Sohail Ansari
10th December 1945
Dow Medical College
75 years – Golden JubileeMost will recognise Sir Hugh Dow and relate him as the founder of Dow Medical College. The medical college in Hyderabad was under threat unless it was improved and transferred to Karachi. The man behind the negotiations and actions for this to happen was the then health minister, Dr Hemandas Rupchand Wadhwani. It was transferred and named Dow Medical College.Dr Wadhwani qualified from Grant Medical College Bombay in 1920 and established a hospital and maternity home in Jacobabad. He served Indian Red Cross Society as Honorary Secretary for many years. In 1932, he went to Europe to work in Paris with the Paris Red Cross Society League and obtained post graduation from Vienna. The Government of India awarded him ‘Kaiser e Hind’ in 1934. He moved to Karachi and soon became a leading doctor of the city. He was elected as a member of Sindh Legislative Assembly and made Minister of Public Works and Public Health Department, besides holding the portfolios of Industries and Civil Defence. He was the first President of Sindh Nursing Council (1942 to 1945). He was also a member of the Medical Council of India. The establishment of ‘Dow Medical College’, Karachi was one of his biggest achievements.The foundation stone was laid by the Governor of Sindh, Sir Hugh Dow and the college was named after him.On the day of Independence, Citizens’ Celebrations Committee under the chairmanship of Mr. M. H. Gazdar had erected 16 gates on the route. That was the three mile stretch traversed by Jinnah and Mountbatten. One of those gates was named after Dr. Hemandas Wadhwani.Hemandas Wadhwani founded the Pakistan Minorities Association as its President and M.S.M. Sharma as one of the Vice-Presidents.
