North Bengal Medical College

North Bengal Medical College is located in Siliguri, India. It is the largest healthcare facility in the North Bengal region of West Bengal serving as a tertiary referral institute and has teaching programs for graduation and postgraduation. It is one of the twelve government medical colleges in West Bengal. The hospital has a bed strength of 862 and caters to a large population of 15 million in North Bengal and many more from the surrounding states of north east India and the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh with a patient occupancy rate of 137%.LocationNorth Bengal Medical College is located in Sushrutanagar, to the west of Siliguri, connected to the town by the 3rd Mahananda bridge. Sushrutanagar, (situated at Thiknikata Gram Panchayet), otherwise referred to as ‘medical’ by the local people, is more or less 5 km from the Siliguri town proper. The nearest Railway Station is New Jalpaiguri Jn about 11 km away and the nearest Airport is Bagdogra Airport about 8 km from the CampusHistoryIt was established in 1968 as the first medical college of North Bengal. Originally envisioned by Dr. B. C. Roy, the planning was executed by Ajit Kumar Panja, the then state health minister. Prof. Ajit Kr. Duttagupta joined as the first official principal of the college which was then known as North Bengal University Medical College. NBUMC was rechristened in August 1978 to North Bengal Medical College & Hospital and the administrative control went from North Bengal University to Govt. of West Bengal.The first batchesThe premedical classes started on 6.11.67 in a makeshift arrangement at Jackson medical school, Jalpaiguri. 2nd to 6th batch of students undertook their premedical course at Raigunj University College. 7th batch onwards, the students started their premedical course at NBMC campus, Sushrutanagar, their own place.