R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital


R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital is a medical school and hospital in Shyambazar, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Now a government college, it claimed to have been the first non-governmental medical college established in Asia. It was founded to ensure self-sufficiency in medical education and services in the colonial era. It was under University of Calcutta from 1916 to 2003 and affiliated to West Bengal University of Health Sciences when it was established in 2003. R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital completed 100 years of its service in 2016.

History

Established in 1886 as the Calcutta School of Medicine, it had no affiliated hospital and practiced out of Mayo Hospital. In 1902, it moved to its own complex including a school building and hospital. In 1904, it merged with the National College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bengal and, after a period of further growth, was renamed as the Belgachia Medical College in 1916. From 1918 to 1948, the college was known as Carmichael Medical College in honor of Thomas Gibson-Carmichael, the Governor of Bengal at the college's inauguration in 1916. The institution was given its current name on 12 May 1948 to honor Dr. Radha Govinda Kar who first conceived of it. In May 1958, control of the college was passed to West Bengal's government.