The history of Farabi Hospital dates back to the year 1921. Initially, the land was purchased by Haj Moaddel Shirazi and dedicated to a municipal almshouse. Later, the almshouse was converted into a factory. Subsequently, patients from charitable institutions such as Darul-Aytam (Orphanage) and Darul-Masaqeen (Poorhouse) were accommodated at this location, and it was renamed the "Poorhouse Hospital." After some time, the patients were transferred to the Municipality Hospital, and the aforementioned site was allocated to the power plant of District 10. This situation continued for several years until typhus broke out in the Poorhouse. Inevitably, a few beds were placed in the courtyard, and typhus patients were hospitalized there, and the name "Hospital No. 2" was given to it.

Following the end of the typhus epidemic, medical and surgical wards were established in the hospital, and various medical, surgical, and dental clinics, an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) department and clinic, and a pharmacy were formed.

Pioneering Ophthalmology at Farabi Hospital

In 1934, the ophthalmology department of Farabi Hospital, comprising two clinics, one operating room, and 25 beds, was established by Professor Mohammad Gholi Shams. The first corneal transplant operation in Iran was performed by him in the same year at this hospital. With the establishment of this center, eye surgery was performed for training students by Professor Shams and his colleagues, including Professor Mohammad Hadi Ghavam Sadoughi, Dr. Masoud Zarabi, and Dr. Hassan Alavi. During Professor Shams's years of service, Farabi Hospital was at a high level in terms of ophthalmology, and prominent international professors and ophthalmologists visited it on numerous occasions.

 

The construction of the Ophthalmology Department building, with an area of 13102 square meters, began in early 1942 and was completed in 1945. It was inaugurated and put into use on the second day of December 1946. The building included medical, ENT, and laboratory departments and a pharmacy with a capacity of 120 beds, which was later expanded to 220 beds. The ophthalmology department established a specialized ophthalmology program with a three-year duration. Those who completed medical school could specialize in ophthalmology by completing this scientific and practical training course, passing the necessary exams, and writing a thesis on the subject.

In 1980, a bill was passed to transfer all the land surrounding the hospital (approximately 100,000 square meters) to the Tehran University School of Medicine, and construction began on the new Farabi Hospital building. This building, with a 23,000-square-meter floor area, was inaugurated in 1987 and added to the old facilities.

 

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, with a special focus on the development and equipment of the hospital, and with the efforts of the relevant officials, this hospital has become the largest ophthalmology center in the Middle East. Many eye surgeries that were previously not possible in Iran and patients had to be sent abroad for treatment are now performed in this center by the experienced doctors and hardworking staff of the hospital. So much so that there is no longer any need to send patients abroad for eye treatment.