Who Was Dr Radha Govind Kar, Medical Luminary After Whom Kolkata Hospital Is Named

The RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, the first non-government medical college in Asia, has recently made headlines due to the brutal rape and murder of thje 31-year-old trainee doctor on its premises.

The hospital, founded by Radha Gobind Kar (RG Kar) in 1886, boasts a 138-year-old history but is now under scrutiny.

Dr. Radha Gobind Kar was born in British-ruled Bengal and was also the founder of another revered state-government-run hospital, Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College, named after his peer Nil Ratan Sircar. NRS Medical College is located in Sealdah, in the heart of Kolkata. Both hospitals serve numerous patients every day.

RG Kar served as the secretary of the college until his death in 1918. The West Bengal government took over the institution on May 12, 1958. The college offers post-doctorate, PG diploma, fellowship, and undergraduate programs.

Who Was RG Kar, the Man Behind the Hospital? 

Radha Gobind Kar was widely known as a great philanthropist with a passion for medicine from a young age. His father was a physician, and he completed his education at Bengal Medical College, the oldest medical college in Asia at the time, later renamed Calcutta Medical College.

He later moved to England to earn a postgraduate degree in medical science. 

When he came to India, he realized the country was facing several medical challenges and Calcutta was short of proper medical colleges and was grappling with serious diseases such as cholera and plague.

Hence, he decided to establish a new medical college. He started the Calcutta School of Medicine, from a rented house in Kolkata's Baithakkhana Bazar Road in 1886. The colleges provided a three-year medical course in Bengali. 

How was RG Kar Hospital Named? 

The college gained popularity quickly among students and the space was too small as the enrollment of students increased. The college soon moved to another building in Bowbazar. 

As there was no hospital in the nearby vicinity, students went to the Mayo Hospital in Howrah for training. 

According to a report in The Telegraph, in 1898, four acres of land in Belgachia were purchased for Rs 12,000 to construct a college building. Four years later, in 1902, the then Governor, Lord Woodburn, inaugurated a 30-bed, single-storey hospital named after Britain's Prince Albert Victor.

Subsequently, two additional floors were added to the hospital. In 1904, the Calcutta School of Medicine merged with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bengal, which had been established in 1895.

Following the merger, the institution was renamed Belgachhia Medical College in 1916 and was formally inaugurated by Governor General Lord Carmichael. Between 1916 and 1918, the college experienced significant infrastructural growth, with the construction of a new surgical building and an anatomy block. Asia's first psychiatry outpatient department (OPD) was also established during this time. In 1935, a separate maternity ward was added, named after the eminent obstetrician Sir Kedarnath Das. By 1939, a cardiology department had been established.

The institution's reputation continued to grow, and by the time India gained Independence, the college had become a prestigious and well-known institution. On May 12, 1948, just months after Independence, the college was renamed RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in honor of its founder, Dr. RG Kar.