Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University - History

History

In 1870, the Maharaja of Vijaynagaram first wished to start a medical college in Lucknow and offered to donate Rs 3 lacs. Due to a paucity of funds this was not passed by the government and the dream of the Maharaja could not take shape. In 1905, to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales to India, the Raja of Jehangirabad and Sir Taussuduq Rasool requested the Raja of Ayodhya to persuade Sir James LaTouche, lieutenant governor of United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh, U.P.) to recommend the establishment of the medical college to the governor of India. This time the government gave its sanction but with the condition that the people of United Provinces raise a sum of Rs 8 lacs.

The fund-raising activities were successful and the foundation stone was laid by the Prince of Wales on 26 December 1905 on a plot of land donated by the U.P. government on the bank of River Gomti. Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the famous architect, designed the building in Indo-Saracenic style, so as to blend naturally with the minarets and monuments of this 'nawabi' city.

The medical college was formally opened in October 1911, the year when His Majesty King George V and Queen Mary visited India, by the then lieutenant governor of United Provinces: Sir John Prescott Hewett. Every year since 1916, the 'topper' of the Final Professional Examination is decorated with the 'Hewett Medal' in honor of the man who opened the portals of the college to 'Georgians'. Dr KS Nigam was the first Hewett medalist. Col. W Selby was the first principal and professor of Surgery and lieutenant colonel CA Sprawson was the first physician. Initially the faculty consisted of five professors and two lecturers. The college was affiliated to Allahabad University.

The first hospital associated with medical college was built in 1914, and was called King George Hospital, funded by the government of India. The building was again designed by Swinton Jacob. It was ready in time for the clinical training of the first batch of students in 1914. A 226-bed hospital was inaugurated by the Viceroy Lord Harding on 10 January 1914.

The first postgraduate examination in Medicine and Pathology was held in 1918. King George's Medical College and associated King George's Hospital were formally transferred under Lucknow University in 1921, on the establishment of the University of Lucknow. The campus had the privilege of hosting the first convocation of the university on 30 October 1922.

In 1931, the Queen Mary's Hospital across the Shahmina Road was inaugurated on 4 November 1932 with a bed strength of 52. In 1951, a three-story building called Gandhi Memorial Hospital was constructed with a bed strength of 144. It was at this stage that the name King George's Hospital was changed to Gandhi Memorial and Associated Hospitals. In 1955 another block housing the children's hospital was added. Yet another block was built for the surgery department. The departments of Orthopedic Surgery, E.N.T. and Anesthesia were created in the 1950s. The specialty departments of Neurology, Cardiology, Psychiatry and Plastic Surgery came up in the 1970s. The surgical departments of Urology, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, and Surgical Oncology were carved out from the Department of Surgery in 1998.

During the years 1981 to 1992 the medical college and hospital were taken over by the state government and all administrative control was through the government instead of Lucknow University.

In 1956, the hospital was selected by the Rockefeller Foundation for a Residency Training Programme and funds were obtained for a five storied Residents' Hostel. In the 1980s the college was selected as a site for establishment of a Clinical Epidemiology Unit by the International Clinical Epidemiology Network. In 1991, the Unit was inaugurated and since has been upgraded as the KGMC Institute of Clinical Epidemiology (KGMCICE).

A major milestone in the history of the institution was is its conversion as the Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University. This came about by an act passed on 16 September 2002 by the government of Uttar Pradesh under chief minister Mayawati. The first vice chancellor of the university was Prof KM Singh, followed in May 2003 by the appointment of Padmshri Prof Mahendra Bhandari on this post. In December 2003, on the request of alumni and teachers, its historical name was restored and the new university came to be known as the King George Medical University. However, in 2007, with the return of Mayawati as chief minister, the institution's name was again changed to Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University.

Dental education at the King George's Medical College started as a Dentistry Wing of the Department of Surgery in 1949. The BDS course was started in the same year, with a teaching staff of a reader, a lecturer, a senior demonstrator and 10 students. In 1951, it became a separate Department of Dentistry in a new Dental Hospital (now called the old dental college building) with Prof TN Chawla as head of department. In 1980, the department was upgraded to a Faculty of Dental Sciences with seven departments. A post of dean of Dental Faculty was created which rotates amongst the professors every three years.

With the growing need of floor area for each specialty, another building across the Shahmina Road next to Queen Mary's Hospital was built; it was commissioned in 1986. The dean is Dr Suresh Chandra and previous deans have been Prof TN Chawla, Prof NK Agarwal, Prof DS Gupta, Prof CP Govila, Prof KK Kapoor, Prof Satish Chandra and Prof DN Kapoor. In late 2003, an upgrade of the Dental College into a new separate university was approved by the state government. It is known as the U.P. King George University of Dental Sciences. Prof CP Govila was appointed as the first vice chancellor. However, in 2007, under chief minister Mayawati, the Dental University reverted back to the Faculty of Dental Sciences under the Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University.