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Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata
Medical College, Bengal Logo.svg
Motto Latin: Cum Humanitate Scientia
Motto in English
Humanity and Science
Type Public
Established 28 January 1835
(190 years ago)
 (28 January 1835)
Founder Lord William Bentinck
Academic affiliations
  • WBUHS
  • NMC
Principal Prof. Dr. Raghunath Mishra, M.D. (Community Medicine)
Academic staff
258
Students 2,370
Undergraduates 1,245
Postgraduates 600
525
Location
88 College Street, Kolkata 700001

22°34′25″N 88°21′43″E / 22.5736°N 88.3619°E / 22.5736; 88.3619
Campus Urban
26 acres (0.11 km2)

Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, also known as Calcutta Medical College, is a public medical school and hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It holds the special title of being the oldest hospital still operating in Asia. This important institute was started on January 28, 1835, by Lord William Bentinck when India was under British rule. It was first called Medical College, Bengal.

This college was the second oldest medical school in Asia to teach Western medicine. It was the very first one to teach in the English language. The hospital connected to the college is the biggest hospital in West Bengal. Students who study here can earn an MBBS degree after five and a half years of medical training.

How Does Medical College, Kolkata Rank?

CMC administrative
The front of the administrative building.

Medical College, Kolkata is a highly-rated medical school. In 2019, Outlook India magazine ranked it 19th among all medical colleges in India.

More recently, in 2021, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) placed Medical College, Kolkata at 32nd among medical institutions. This was the first time the college was included in the NIRF rankings.

What is the History of Student Politics?

Martyr of Vietnam Day Police Firing-Sree Dhiraranjan Sen
A plaque remembering Sree Dhiraranjan Sen.

Students at Medical College, Kolkata have a long history of being involved in politics. Many students took part in India's fight for freedom from British rule. They joined anti-British movements organized by groups like the Bengal Provincial Students' Federation.

At first, student politics was all about helping India become independent. In 1947, a student named Sree Dhiraranjan Sen sadly died during a police firing on "Vietnam Day." The Vietnam Students’ Association in Hanoi even passed a resolution in his memory.

Student politics was also greatly affected by the partition of Bengal and the riots that happened around the time India was divided in 1947. Between 1946 and 1952, doctors from the college worked hard to promote peace and help people in refugee camps. In 1952, former students, including Bidhan Chandra Roy (who later became the second Chief Minister of West Bengal), started the Students' Health Home to help students stay healthy.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, the college became a center for left-wing political ideas. Student politics was strongly influenced by the Naxalbari uprising in the early 1970s.

Who are Some Famous Alumni?

Main building of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital 03
The main building of Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata.

Many important people have studied at Medical College, Kolkata. Here are a few:

  • Pasupati Bose – An Indian doctor and anatomy professor.
  • Upendranath Brahmachari – He discovered a treatment for a disease called Kala-azar.
  • Kadambini Ganguly – She was the first certified female doctor in South Asia to practice Western medicine.
  • Madhusudan Gupta – He was the first Indian trained in Western medicine to dissect a human body.
  • David Hare – He founded Hare School.
  • Vikram Marwah – A doctor who received the Padma Shri award and the Dr. B. C. Roy Award.
  • N. C. Paul – The first doctor to study yoga.
  • Bidhan Chandra Roy – A famous doctor and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal.
  • Ram Baran Yadav – He became the first president of Nepal.
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