People across the country are angry over the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor in Kolkata. The accused in this case is in the custody of CBI. His polygraph test has been approved by the court. But at the center of this entire incident is Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
This Medical College and Hospital has great importance in the healthcare system of Kolkata. It was established in 1886. It was the first non-government medical college in Asia, which laid the foundation of the healthcare system in West Bengal and across the country. It was founded by Dr. Radha Gobind Kar, who was also the first secretary of this medical college and held the same post till his death in 1918.
The West Bengal Government took this medical college under its control on 12 May 1958. It is affiliated with the West Bengal University of Health Sciences and recognized by the Medical Council of India. Apart from post doctorate (DM/MCH), PG diploma and fellowship programs, undergraduate (MBBS) and post graduate (MS/MD) medical education are taught here.
Who was RG Kar?
Radha Gobind Kar was a visionary social reformer who started a medical college from a rented house in Baithakkhana Bazaar Road, Calcutta. He was born in 1852 during the British rule. His father was a doctor. Radha Gobind Kar studied medicine from Bengal Medical College. Bengal Medical Asia was the oldest medical college in Asia at that time. It was later known as the famous Calcutta Medical College. After graduation, he went to England for further studies and returned to India in 1886 with a medical degree.
According to the report, upon returning to India, he realized that the colonial culture of the country was a hindrance for the people at large, due to which they were not able to get the benefits of the existing medical schools as students and patients.
Because of this he got the idea of establishing a new medical college and thus the Calcutta School of Medicine was established in 1886. According to an article published in the US National Library of Medicine in 2011, the first medical course of the medical college was of three years and medical education was conducted in Bengali language.
How did RG Kar Medical College and Hospital get its name?
The building taken on rent on Baithak Khana Road, Calcutta was later shifted to Bowbazar Street. However, at that time there was no hospital in its name. Because of this, students had to go to Mayo Hospital in Howrah for training.
According to the report of The Telegraph, in 1898, four acres of land was purchased in Belgachia for Rs 12,000 to build the college building. Four years later, in 1902, the then Governor Lord Woodburn inaugurated a 30-bed, single-storey hospital, which was named after Britain’s Prince Albert Victor. After this, two more floors of the hospital were prepared. The building of that time still remains intact.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bengal, formed in 1985, merged with RG Kar Medical in 1904. After this, the name of Calcutta School of Medicine was changed to Belgachhia Medical College in 1916. But two years later in 1918, Kar died.
Before his demise the college achieved many achievements. With time, a new surgical building and anatomy block were built in the college. Asia’s first psychiatric OPD also opened here. Sir Kedarnath Das Maternity Hospital was built in its campus in 1935. Along with this, the Department of Cardiology was also created in 1939.
After the country gained independence in 1947, the fame of this medical college and hospital increased. A few months after independence, on 12 May 1948, its name was changed to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital after its founder Dr. RG Kar.