Silchar Medical College

 Silchar Medical College
 

Silchar Medical College is a premier medical institution in the North-East region. Situated at Ghungoor a suburb of the city of Silchar , it has enjoyed a prestigious status in the country for its brilliant academic performances and excellent care for the suffering community. Every year it is imparting training for 100 graduates and more than 30 post-graduates, in various branches of medical science.   Silchar Medical College Hospital is having all important specialty departments. A large number of patients visit this institution for advanced treatment not only from Barak Valley region of Assam but also from neighbouring states like Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram. The hospital with a capacity of more than 750 beds and over 800 patients are treated daily in the Out Patient Departments.

This premier institution was first started in the vacant buildings of the Govt. Ayurvedic College at Jalukbari, Guwahati with 60 students for Gauhati Medical College and 40 students for Silchar Medical College as a twin college in August 1960.        

 

In 1960 Govt. of Assam decided to shift the Silchar Medical College to Silchar. Site Selection Committee was sent, they selected Ghungoor, which was the land of Bhorakai T.E. . 8 K.M .away from Silchar town. But the progress was very slow and inconspicuous. In 1968, people of Silchar placed the demand to the then Honourable Health Minister Late Satindra Mohan Dev that Silchar Medical College should be shifted form Guwahati to Silchar.

Dr.R.Goswami was sent to Silchar to start the Medical College with two office staff, Shri. D.N. Dutta and ShriA.M.Das Laskar One jeep was allotted for office. Shri Gajendra Das was its driver.

 

Previously office was located at D.H.S. office Shillong ( Assam ). The office was shifted from Shillong to Silchar Circuit House on 10.8.68. The office was shifted from Circuit House to Boy's Hostel NO.1 at Ghungoor College Campus on 11.9.68. After a few days Sri D.Das joined in the office. The following grade-IV staff were appointed in the office of the Special Officer, Shri Jital Uria Bamurah, Sri Phani Bhattacharjee, Shri Liladhar Sharma, Shri Sudhir Ch. Das, Shri Nalini Kanta Das, Shri Prabhat Ch.Das and Shri Dakhan Ch. Dey. Shri K. B. Das was appointed the office Secretary.

 

The memorable Foundation Day of Silchar Medical College was held on 15th August 1968 . The function was celebrated under the President ship of the Commissioner of Cachar and Chief Guest was Honb'le Health Minister S.M.Dev, who inaugurated the foundation ceremony. Representatives of Assam Medical College and Guwahati Medical College attended the function. Fifty students were admitted in Pre-Medical course in1968 at G. C. College . Professors and teachers were in Physics, Profs, P. B. Das, S. Sinha and Shri A. Deshmukhya, in Chemistry, Profs. B. Sinha, D. Talukdar and Shri S. Dhar, in Botany, Prof. S. Kar and S. K. Deb in Zoology, Prof. A.Bhowmick and Shri N. Shyam , in English Prof. S. Bhattacharjee. There was no Hostel building. Students had to reside in the Hostel of Govt. Higher Secondary School Boarding House, G. C. College and also in rented house. Within this term of Pre-Medical course preparation of Pre-Clinical and Para clinical classes were organized in Ghungoor Students Hostel No. 2. Of the first batch of Pre-Medical students all of them came out successfully and scored four top most positions including the First position. Teaching staff in the Anatomy deptt. were Prof. H. K.Das Biswas, Asstt. Prof. B. C. Das, teachers Dr. (Ms.) S.Dey, Dr. N. K. Purkayastha, and Dr. B. K. Dey. In Physiology, Asstt. Prof. P. C. Medhi, took the charge and after a few months Dr. N. H. Hazarika joined as Professor. Other teaching staff in the deptt. were Asstt. Prof. A. K. Dasgupta, teachers were Dr. D. Roy, Dr.S. K. Bhattacharjee, Dr. K. K..Chakarborty, and Dr. M. Shyam. Dr. M. K. Dhar, Dr. G. C.Barua and Asstt. Prof. N. C. Deka were staff of the Deptt.of Biochemistry. Prof. P. Goswami of Guwahati and Prof. R.Hussain of Assam Medical College took some classes in Biochemistry as Visiting Professors. Shri S. K. Kar and Dr.T. N. Chakraborty were teachers in Chemistry and Prof. B.K. Sinha of G. C. College used to take classes in Chemistry. To and fro conveyance from Silchar to Medical College was very meager. No dependable bus communication was set up.

 

There were a few teaching staff, who used to come from town by an old Fiat car of Dr. B. K. Dey. Other clerical staff, most of them resided in the Hostel. One bus was allotted by the Assam Govt. in November 1971 and our conveyance problem was reduced. The driver of the bus was Shri Assaddar Ali and his assistant was Shri Renu Singh. In the vast land of hills and dales, local people cultivated paddy in some low areas of the campus. Only two Hostel buildings were bearing the existence of the college in the green virgin land. My vision was bewitched by the blue hills and soothing horizon in the midst of the greeneries and lakes. By and by Dr. R. Goswami became the Principal of the college. We attended the college through a graveled road which emerged from Hailakandi Road near Principal's Bungalow which was being constructed. Principal was residing in the rooms of the hostel. That road was discarded when new (present) road was opened. The old approach road was abandoned, where now the Nurses' hostel stands. The remnant of the old road is still peeping reminding our past. There was no separate girl's hostel. Girl Students got their accommodation in one of the blocks of the students’ hostel. Girl's hostel was constructed in the mid seventies and they were shifted there. Dr. B. C. Das was Superintendent of the Hostel's. There was no water treatment plant, a pond near the hostel provided the water to the college. The operator of the pumping station was Shri Anil Das.

 

Paraclinical deptts. were started in the hostel building and Silchar Civil Hospital was converted for clinical classes in 1971. The construction of the Hospital building was started in the mid Seventies. Medicine deptt. and deptt. of Tuberculosis were first removed to the Assam type building in the permanent site. Dr. S. R. Bhattacharjee was the first Medical Registrar of the deptt. In the early part of the eighties all the clinical deptts. and office were removed to the permanent building. From July 1970 the clinical and paraclinical staffs were being appointed. In Medicine: Dr. D. N. Chakraborty as Professor, Dr. A. Swami as Asstt. Professor, Dr. R. Gupta and Dr. B. K. Das. In Surgery: Dr. A. K. Deshmukh as Professor, Dr. P. K. Choudhury as Asstt. Professor, Dr. S.K. Nandy Purkayastha and Dr. I. C. Das. In 0 & G : Dr. R.K. Das as Professor, Dr. Debidas Dutta and Dr. B. C. Kalita. In Opthalmology : Dr. H. N. Hazarika as Professor, Dr. S.R. Das as Asstt. Professor, Dr. A. C. Konwar and Dr. D. C.Baishya. In E. N. T.: Dr. C. Das as Professor, Dr. P. K.Goswami as Asstt. Professor, and Dr. A. Bhattacharjee. In Anaesthesiology : Dr. B. K. Sarma as Professor, Dr. R. M.A. Borah as Asstt. Professor and Dr. (Ms) P. Baruah(Dutta). In Radiology: Dr. D.C. Dowerah and Dr. A. K.Sharma. In Pathology: Dr. I. K. S. M. Baruah as Professor, Dr. K. K. Dasgupta as Asstt. Professor, Dr. S. K. Bhattacharjee and Dr. (Ms) S. Devi. In Microbiology: Dr. K. C.Bhuiyan as Asstt, Professor and Dr. B. R. Bhat!acharjee. In P& S.M : Dr. N. M. I. Rahman as Professor, Dr. P. N. Biswas and Dr. P. C. Barthakur. In F & SM Dr. M. N. Das, Civil Surgeon and Dr. J. Bhowal. In Pharmacology: Dr. A. M.Choudhury as Asst!. Professor and Dr. (MS) S. Das (Dutta).In Orthopaedics: Dr. H. Gogoi as Asstt. Professor.After a few years other departments were started. Dermatology &Venerology: Dr. K. K. Das as Asst!. Professor, Paediatrics: Prof. S.D.Barua and Dr.M.K.Chakraborty, Psychiatry: Asst!. Prof. Dr. P. N. Goswami, Dr. S. Dhar, Dentistry: Dr. D. K. Dey, Tuberculosis &Chest Diseases: Dr. G. K. Chakraborty, Cardiology: Dr. M. Nath as Asso. Prof. and Dr. D. Deb were appointed. Sr. Dorothy Kattakakathut was the first Matron of the college. All are the pioneers of their respective department. Shri B. K. Shyam was the Medical Record Officer and Shri Jyotirmoy Dutta, Photographer of the college. Shri Manoj Nandy Mazumdar the first Librarian of the college.

In long 25 years many a stalwart of Medical arena of Assam adorned the chair the Principal. Dr. R. Goswami, founder Principal, Dr. D. C. Dowerah, Dr. N. Zaman, Dr. D.C. Choudhury, Dr. S. D. Barua, Dr. J. Mahanta, Dr. B. M.Goswami, Dr. C. Das, Dr. (MS) D. Dutta, Dr. P. C. Barua, Dr. S. Datta Roy and others. Dr. H. K. Das Biswas was the first Vice Principal of S. M. C, who joined the Deptt. of Anatomy as Professor in 1968.

 

The first batch of final MBBS examinee appeared in 73. The first and third positions were occupied by Sambhunath Mukherjee and Prasanta Nath Barbhuiya respectively. In the last 25 years our students topped the list in 1st, 2nd and Final MBBS examinations and also secured positions in many of the examinations of Gauhati University . Ms. Bandana Dey is the first lady who graduated from this college.

 

Post-graduate course in different subjects are opened and seed of which was planted in 15th Aug'1968 now thrived into a big tree but not a banian tree which is yet to be achieved. The staff and students took terrible pain, trouble and had to over come many hurdles to bring the college into the present shape. They had to go on several occassions for their legitimate demands. The first annual magazine 'Vishak' was published in 1974 and after a year wall magazine 'Sreejani' came up. From 1969 to 1974 College was inspected time to time by University Inspectors and Medical Council of India. Silchar Medical College was recognised by M.C.I. in 1974.

 

Silchar Medical College and Hospital was established in the year 1968. It has been serving the ailing humanity of the region from the very day of its inception. During the last three decades it has produced a huge number of brilliant medical graduates who are discharging their duty to the society with distinction. As such the Institute has been trying its best to catch up with the advancement in the field of modern medicine as far as practicable. However we are yet to see the expected growth to its full potential mainly because of financial constraints and geographical isolation of this valley from other parts of the country.

 

At the moment the college has the capacity of

100 admissions into the MBBS curse,

25 admissions in P.G. Degree, and

7 admissions in P.G. Diploma courses.

 

The bachelor degree (MBBS), MD in General Medicine and Diploma in ENT (DLO) were already recognized by the MCI (Medical Council of India) in the year 1988. Recognition for the degree and diploma courses in all other specialties were kept pending till last Inspection by the MCI in Feb and May 2005. They have very recently accorded recognition to the PG courses in General Surgery, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry and Otolaryngology. Currently the Institution has 8 Basic science departments and 19 clinical departments. PG courses in the departments of Radio-diagnosis, Pathology, Anaesthesiology and Orthopaedic have been permitted by the MCI.