A file image of the Assam Medical College (AT Photo)
Till the end of the 19th century modern medication was not available in the North East region. With the advent of the British, a few doctors of modern allopathic medicine were sent to the Brahmaputra valley as a part of the British administration.
Accordingly, a 23-year-old British medical graduate named John Berry White was sent to the North East as an officer under Bengal Medical Services. Dr White could not tolerate the hot climate of Bengal and fell sick, as a result of which he was sent to Dibrugarh for its relatively colder climate. Dr White joined as a civil surgeon of the undivided Lakhimpur district and looked after the medical issues of the British officers working in this region as well as the health care of the tea garden people of Upper Assam. At that time the civil surgeons had immense administrative power.
Besides being a competent physician, Dr White was also a very enthusiastic business entrepreneur who ventured into coal mining and tea industry. But this great philanthropist donated the lion's share of his earnings to start a school of modern medicine in Dibrugarh before he returned to London. Thus, the first medical school was started in 1898 with his donation of Rs 50,000. The medical school produced qualified doctors with Licentiate Medical Practitioner (LMP) degrees, pharmacists and nurses, who started practising modern medicine in different places of Eastern India.
When India became independent from British rule in 1947, Dibrugarh got the first medical college of North East India due to the untiring efforts of some visionary leaders and the public of Dibrugarh. The then premier of Assam, Gopinath Bordoloi, and Dr Bhubaneswar Baruah played a key role in this regard.
The college was initially housed in the military barrack hospital buildings of World War II in a horse race course surrounded by tea gardens. Many medical teachers of repute from various corners of India joined as the pioneer batches of faculty to teach medicine and the first batch of 12 doctors graduated from the institute in 1952. The medical graduates who passed out from Assam Medical College were among the best and the college got recognition at the international level for producing quality doctors. AMC was the only medical college till the second medical college was established in Guwahati in 1962.
The people of the entire North Eastern region were dependent on this institute and Dibrugarh town earned its name and fame because of the quality medical care offered by AMC.
Gradually, the college grew from infancy to adulthood and the number of undergraduate seats increased to 200 with the introduction of postgraduate courses in almost all disciplines. Besides MBBS and MD/MS courses, the nursing, pharmaceutical science and other paramedical courses of different subjects were also introduced gradually. The institute recently started the Superspecialist courses (DM/MCh) in a few disciplines.
One of the unique features of AMC is its beautiful campus with a vibrant ambience where seven institutions are located. Besides the medical college, nursing colleges, dental colleges, pharmacy institutes, etc., are offering degrees and diplomas. We feel fortunate to celebrate its platinum jubilee recently with a memorable gathering of thousands of alumni and their contributions to the college in the form of different projects. The Dibrugarh Cancer Care Centre is the new addition to the campus, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister himself.
In spite of ups and downs in the past, the institution is now standing tall with the support of the State Government.
Thousands of medical graduates and specialists produced by this prestigious institute have been offering their services in India and abroad with notable repute. Besides extensive clinical training, the institute is now seriously involved in medical research. AMC is now a known name amongst the medical research fraternity with significant achievements at the national and international level.
We are always proud to be a student and teacher of this college and we are thankful to the people of Assam and the entire North East for their love and affection for this heritage institute. Long live AMC.
- By Prof Sanjeeb Kakati
