History of Calicut Medical College

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History of Calicut Medical College

Calicut Medical College is situated to the north east of Calicut city in Kerala, about 10 km from the city center.It was established in 1957. The sprawling campus of 270
acres at Chevayoor village is on a hilly terrain with picturesque surroundings. Apart from the Medical College building, the campus houses the New Medical College Hospital (NMCH), the Institute of Maternal and Child Health (IMCH), the Institute of Chest Diseases, Dental and Nursing Colleges, hostels for students, interns, nurses and houses for accommodation of medical and non-medical staff.

The foundation stone of the College was laid by Dr. B. Ramakrishna Rao, the then Governor of Kerala,on the 29th of May, 1956.The college was officially inaugurated on the 5th of August, 1957 by Dr. A.R. Menon, the Health Minister of Kerala.This was the second medical college of Kerala state.(Not accepted by many including me!! See note at the bottom of this page).

Dr. K.N. Pisharody was appointed as the first Principal. The pre-clinical departments were shifted to the campus in the year1959 only.The Medical College Hospital with 1183 beds was completed in 1966.Until then the medical students used to go the the district hospital at Calicut beach (Beach Hospital) for clinical training.This new hospital was known as the New Medical College Hospital or better known as NMCH an acronym used even today.The Dental College situated to the west of the campus near Koovor was inaugurated on the 16th of April, 1984.The Institute of Maternal and Child Health (IMCH) with 610 beds was opened in 1975.The Institute of Chest Diseases was commissioned in November, 1990.The Nursing College and the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center were added later.

The Medical College Hospital is a tertiary referral center. The IMCH and Dental Colleges accept walk in patients.The hospital complex caters to the six northern districts of the state of Kerala covering approximately 40 % of the population of the state.

Note:

According to Prof. Emeritus M.G. Sahadevan., F.R.C.P. (London), the first medical college of Kerala was started at Calicut, in 1942-43, during the Second World War. Due to shortage of doctors to serve the military, the British Government decided to open a branch of Madras Medical College in Malabar, which was under Madras Presidency then. The Medical School was started close to the then district hospital at Kottaparamba ( now Women and Children's Hospital). The war was over before the medical students completed their course. After the war, the medical school at Calicut was closed and the students continued their studies at Madras Medical College. Captain A.B. Das,(late) a veteran doctor who practised in Calicut belonged to that batch. Nothing much is known about other students who might have served in British military.Until recently the building which housed the medical school was the R.D.O office.The building next to that is the public health laboratory even now and the buildings beyond those are the doctor's quarters of W & C Hospital even now.