10 facts about Gauhati Medical College and Hospital that will make any Guwahatian filled with pride.

- Naba Raj Chetri   &   Parikh Choudhury   

With students and doctors from across the nation, Gauhati Medical College stands as the hub of amalgamation of the best medical knowledge North East has ever known. Situated atop the Narkasur hills, GMCH is a centre of excellence for medical academic pursuits, research as well as patient care. Established in 1960 as the 2nd medical college in Assam, in the 57 years of its existence GMCH has created a niche for itself when one talks of medical education in the country and North East in particular.

Let's dig into some special reasons that make GMCH ever so special:-

1)1st Govt. Superspeciality hospital of NorthEast India.

A superspeciality hospital is one that is primarily and exclusively engaged in the care and treatment of patients suffering from a specific illness. GMCH has the rare distinction to be among the few institutes in the country to have DM courses in 9 departments - Plastic surgery, Paediatric Surgery, Cardio-Thoracic surgery, Neurology, Cardiology, Urology, Neuro-Surgery, Nephrology and Endocrinology. The hospital has been a boon for the patients of the entire North East as well as for patients from West Bengal and other parts of the country who come here in search of best care at a minimal fee.

2) Setting benchmarks.

Gauhahati Medical College can surely boast of a genetic laboratory and the the first “BSL3 Virology Laboratory” among medical colleges of India. Open heart surgery, Organ transplantation, ERCP (Endoscopy Retrograde Cholengiopancreatography Technique), GMCH stands out to be the first medical college in Assam to have it all.

3) State of the Art Telemedicine Centre.

Pic credits: flickr

Telemedicine deals with delivery of healthcare services to areas where distance is a critical factor using information and communication technology. Telemedicine centre of GMCH provides a noble service to the people of North East region. A large number of doctors and patients are benefited by this service where remote hospitals in different parts of Assam can take medical suggestions from the specialists here.

4) Only Medical College in Assam to have full-fledged Oncology Department.

Pic credits: flickr

With the inauguration of the 200 bed cancer hospital in GMCH it has added another milestone to patient care. With diagnosis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy present within the hospital, the affordable treatment that GMCH provides indeed comes as a bliss for the poor cancer patient who otherwise could not afford the treatment which usually run in Lakhs.

5) Famous and widely respected alumnus.

Having carved thousands of doctors out of the little geniuses that enters the institute, the doctors of GMCH are widely respected for their knowledge and abilities, their continued achievement and their commitment to patient care even in the most adverse conditions. Doctors of GMCH has cut a niche for themselves in the country and aboard.

A few name that needs special mention are :-

           i) Ramesh C. Deka.( MBBS from GMCH) :- Ex-Director of AIIMS, pioneer of cochlear implantation in India, 1st person to perform bilateral cochlear implantation surgery in India.

           ii) Dhrubajyoti Bora (Postgraduation from GMCH) :- 2009 Sahitya Akademi Award winner, ex- President of Asom Sahitya Sabha. A Guwahati based doctor by profession, he is a renowned writer and novelist, he made the entire state proud when his novel “Katha Ratnagar” bagged him the Sahitya Akademi award.

                iii) Purojit Choudhury (Assistant Professor of Surgery, GMCH) :- First person in India, 5th in the world to earn a D.Sc. degree which is an academic research degree awarded in recognition of substantial contribution in scientific knowledge beyond that required of a Ph.D. 

6) Biggest hospital of Eastern India.

GMCH stands tall as the biggest hospital in East India in terms of bed capacity (2,200). According to its own estimate, about  7,00,000 outdoor patients from the entire Northeast and even West Bengal come here for treatment every year.

                                                                                                 

7) MMC Panbazar is an extension of GMCH.

What surely would be the first case of a civil hospital being turned to an extended wing of a medical college in Assam. The State Health Department hooked up city’s Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital MMCH with the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) to save the Medical College Hospital from the surge of patients and to ensure better healthcare services to the patients,. this was started from Feb 2013. The patient reach of the hospital has only increased since then.

8) 1st choice of all medical students.

Ask any medical aspirant of North East and GMCH stands as their 1st choice when it comes to receiving medical education. With infrastructure and academics that is unparalleled and professors ranked among the best in the nation, it is the dream college of every medical aspirant.  Extracurricular activities are encouraged with events like College week, Medifest, Synchysis, which serves as an entertainment pursuit and draws crowd from the entire city.

9) Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences lies within GMC building.

Established in 2009. It is the only Health University of the entire North East region with the whole of Assam under its jurisdiction. It was established to bring uniform academic standard and development of research activities in Medical education of the state. GMCH proudly boasts of hosting the university.

 10) Mesmerising    hill   beauty   at   night.

Wanna catch a bird eye view of the entire Guwahati? Rush up to the hills of GMCH. With the way to the hilltop  fiilled with loops and turns ,( the Loop of Henle turning being the favourite of all) with dotted viewpoints, here is a place where one can rest and  enjoy the cool breeze as it touches the warmth of ones' face . Added to it a stormy night with lightning above and twinkling light from across the city, you would never want to leave the place that's so lovely and enchanting..