History of Chittagong Medical College:

It is not known exactly when and how the practice of the western medicine started in Chittagong, the extreme southeastern part of the Indian Peninsula. No reliable information is available before the establishment in 1901 of a 200-bed “Chittagong General Hospital” over a hilltop at the downtown Anderkillah overlooking the river Karnafuli- the only modern hospital in the region at the time. This hospital served the entire population of Chittagong Division.

With the passage of time it was felt necessary to enhance healthcare facilities as well as the quality of healthcare. Consequently, a four-year Licentiate course in Medicine was introduced in the subcontinent to produce a sufficient number of mid-level physicians to serve mainly the rural population. The institutes that conducted this course were called “Medical School”. One such institution, Chittagong Medical School, was established in Chittagong in 1927.

In 1956, the government decided to establish a medical college in Chittagong. It was to be the second of such institutions after Dhaka Medical College established eight years earlier in 1948, in the Eastern province of the erstwhile Pakistan, which later on went on to emerge as the independent state of Bangladesh in 1971. In 1957, the Chittagong Medical College came into being. Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Central Health Minister Zahirudddin, Minister of Health and Social Welfare (East Pakistan) Dhirendranath Datta, the then provincial minister of commerce and industries Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Later founding father), District Magistrate MA Rashid, Police Super, Maiden Principal Professor Altaf Uddin Ahmed were present during the inauguration ceremony of Chittagong Medical College on 20 September 1957.

Chittagong Medical College Hospital was established at the present site in 1960 with only 120 beds and the outpatient services. At that time the young hospital housed only the Departments of Surgery and Gynecology and Obstetrics. Chittagong general Hospital in Andarkilla housed the department of Medicine and allied specialties till 1969 and thereafter it remained affiliated with Chittagong Medical College Hospital as one of its teaching hospitals.

Construction of the present purpose-built six-storied CMCH was completed in 1969, which has since accommodated all the clinical Departments including all their subspecialties. The hospital, which had a capacity of 500 beds initially, gradually increased its strength to 750 and finally to 1313. It runs big outpatient departments in the specialties like Medicine, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, skin and venereal diseases, Clinical Pathology, General surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, Paediatric Surgery, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Radiotherapy, Radiology and Dentistry with an average turnover in excess of 2000 a day. The independent turnover in 1999 was about 50,000. Over 18,000 surgical operations were performed that year.

Goals

Since 1957 Chittagong Medical College has been vowed for ‘Shaping to true Professionals’ in the field of Health Manpower Department with the prime institutional objective of “Learning for Serving” that has been molding over the time customized to the need of the nation and beyond in text and spirit as follows:

To produce doctors who possess adequate knowledge, skill and attitude to practice in the community without reducing their ability for subsequent professional training in any field of medicine. They must be able to identify and manage health problems at individual, family, group and community levels. They must be able to communicate pleasantly and effectively with their colleagues irrespective of their nature of specialties and with the patients irrespective of their nature of illness, and develop a capturing for continuing life-long medical education to produce post graduate doctors who can work in community as well as in secondary and tertiary level hospitals.

Liberation War

Befittingly, this Institution has earned the admiration of all by actively participating in the great Liberation war of BANGLADESH in 1971. Many students and teachers of this college fought gallantly to significantly contribute towards achieving the final Victory. One notable alumni was the late Dr Shah Alam Bir Uttam who is famous for heroic operation Jackpot.

Key Facts

Chittagong Medical College