By Dr. Veena Bharathi

The Mysore Medical School was started in 1924. Although it was started at Bangalore, it was named ‘The Mysore Medical School’ because it was the first-of-its-kind in Mysore State. The Medical School started training the so-called “Sub-Assistant Surgeons.”  The course was for four years to be qualified as LMP (Licensed Medical Practitioner) with teaching facility at Victoria Hospital and the School (later on College) was affiliated to the University of Mysore.

The College was shifted from Bangalore to Mysore in 1930 as per the direction and support extended by His Highness Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. The Mysore Medical College (MMC) was the first Medical College in the State of Mysore and only the 7th in the whole of India at that time.

K.R. Hospital and Cheluvamba Hospital were functioning at Mysore, even prior to MMC, at Mysore.

Though in 1948 itself ‘An Old Students Association’ was started, the Association remained dormant for several decades, with very few activities till 1996.

In 1996, ‘MAA’ (Mysore Medical College Alumni Association) was formed and at the same time MAA – GANA (MMC – Graduates’ Association of North America) also took birth by the efforts of the Alumni of MMC, settled in North America.

Three important activities form the integral part of MAA as its annual events — Graduation Day in March, Fresher’s Day in August, MAA Utsav in December.

‘MAA Utsav,’ a mega event which takes off on the second Saturday in December every year, includes Scientific Sessions, Panel Discussions and  cultural activities. ‘MAA’ celebrated the Platinum Jubilee Year of MMC in 1999.

Says Dr. Shekar Gowda, Founder-Secretary of MAA:  “MAA supports several activities of the MMC&RI (Mysore Medical College & Research Institute). We have a corpus fund of about Rs.1.2 crore.  From the interest obtained, we are sponsoring the research activities of  needy Under-Graduate and PG students of MMC&RI. We are very grateful for the generous donations by MAA-GANA to the corpus fund of MAA.”

Several MMC alumni have gone on to become the Vice-Chancellors (VCs) of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bengaluru. In fact, the current VC of RGUHS, Dr. Sachidananda, is an alumnus of  MMC.

[Information courtesy: MAA website and Executive Members of MAA]

About the author

Dr. Veena Bharathi, a medical graduate from MMC&RI, holds a Post-Graduate Degree in Health Management and has been a research associate working under IIM Professors.

Dr. Veena Bharathi is the first writer who profiled Neerja Bhanot (the chief-flight purser of the hijacked PAN-AM-Flight, who gave up her own precious life to save many passengers of the flight at Karachi, in September 1986).

She received ‘The National Magnum Award’ for the same write-up. —Ed