The Silchar Medical College & Hospital remains the only referral hospital in the southern part of Assam and so, is the sole custodian of health care system of the entire Barak Valley. Being situated in a very strategic geographic location, it also renders its services to the ailing community of the neighbouring states like Mizoram, North Tripura, West Manipur and South Meghalaya.
Before Indian independence, people from Assam and other North Eastern states had to go to other states for medical education and advanced medical treatment. Dr. John Berry White, MRCS, a British Surgeon of the East India Company, was the pioneer to start Health Education and health care in Assam. He established a medical school known as 'Berry White Medical School' at Dibrugarh, Assam in 1898-99 with a donation of Rs. 50,000 - a magnificent amount at that time. In course of time this medical school was upgraded and on 3rd Nov.,1947 the Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh was established and it stands as the first medical college in Assam.
While the other states had several medical colleges, Assam remained with only one. The need for more medical colleges in Assam was keenly felt. The State Govt. in 1959 headed by the then Chief Minister of Assam, Mr. B. P. Chaliha, the then Finance Minister, Mr. Fakaruddin Ali Ahmed, and the then Health Minister of Assam Mr. Rupram Brahma decided to have a second medical college in Assam.
On 7th Nov., 1959 the State Govt. set up an expert committee to go into the matter and submit their report. The expert committee comprised of the following members: 1. Dr. Basudev Narayan -- member of the medical Council of India (which in turn was constituted in 1933) and also the Principal of Kakinda Medical College. He was the chairman of the committee. 2. Dr. A. B. Dasgupta -- Medical Secretary. 3. Dr. B. L. Choudhury -- Director of Health Services (DHS), Assam. 4. Dr. R. I. Cunvill -- Director of Pasteur Institute, Shillong. 5. Dr. S. N. Sarma -- Principal, Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh. 6. Dr. G. S. Das -- M.L.A., Guwahati. 7. Dr. B. Bhattacharyya -- Silchar. 8. Raisahab Apurba Dutta -- Silchar, and 9. Dr. U. C. Bardoloi -- Retired Director of Health Services, Guwahati
The above committee members visited different parts of the state, had consultation with representatives of the different strata of the society and ultimately recommended Gauhati (now Guwahati) which is the gateway of Assam, as the most suitable place for the second medical college in Assam. But the committee also found a cause to have a 3rd medical college in the Barak valley at Silchar and a 4th medical college at Tezpur in the north bank of Brahmaputra river. This subsequently lead to the birth of the Gauhati Medical College at Guwahati and the Silchar Medical College at Ghungoor, Silchar.
