Lady Hardinge Medical College (original) (raw)

Medical college in New Delhi, India

Lady Hardinge Medical College
Motto Latin: Per Ardua Ad Astra
Motto in English Through Adversity to the Stars
Type Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
Established February 7, 1916; 108 years ago (1916-02-07)
Founder Charles Hardinge, Viceroy of India
Parent institution Directorate General of Health Services
Endowment ₹750 crore (US$88 million) (2024-25)[1]
Director Dr. Sarita Beri[2]
Undergraduates 240
Postgraduates 160 (MD, MS, DM, MCh, and MDS)
Location Connaught Place, New Delhi, India28°38′6.3060″N 77°12′44.9712″E / 28.635085000°N 77.212492000°E / 28.635085000; 77.212492000
Campus Urban, 68 acres (28 ha)
Affiliations NMC, Delhi University
Website lhmc-hosp.gov.in

Lady Hardinge Medical College, also known as LHMC, is a public medical college and hospital located in New Delhi, India. Established in 1916, it became part of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi in 1950. The college is governed and funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.[3][4]

Nurses at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital, 1921

When the capital of British India was shifted to Delhi, Lady Hardinge, the wife of the then Viceroy of India, Baron Charles Hardinge, recognized the need for a medical college exclusively for women. She took the initiative to establish such an institution, as the absence of one limited opportunities for Indian women to pursue medical education. The foundation stone for the college was laid by Lady Hardinge on 17 March 1914, and it was christened Queen Mary College and Hospital to commemorate Queen Mary’s visit to India in 1911–12. Lady Hardinge actively raised funds for the college from princely states and the public until her death on 11 July 1914.[5]

The college was inaugurated on 7 February 1916 by Baron Hardinge in the Imperial Delhi Enclave area. On the suggestion of Queen Mary, the college and the hospital was named after Lady Hardinge to pay an ode to the memory of its founder. The maiden principal of the institution was Kate Platt and the college admitted 16 students. At the commencement of operations, the college was affiliated to University of the Punjab, owing to which the students had to sit their final examinations at King Edward Medical College in Lahore. The college eventually became affiliated to the University of Delhi in 1950; post-graduate courses followed suit in 1954.[5] Ruth Young, who, as Ruth Wilson, was the first professor of surgery at the college, served as the principal from 1936 until 1940.[6] The Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, one of the two hospitals attached to the Lady Hardinge Medical College, was constructed in 1956.[7]

At the onset, the college was an autonomous institution managed by a governing body. In 1953, the Board of Administration constituted by the Central Government took formal charge over the management of the institution. In February 1978, the management was relinquished in favour of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India under an Act of Parliament.[8] One of the director professors is chosen as the president of the college, the most senior post in the college.[9]

Patients at the Lady Hardinge Hospital, 2014

Since 1991, the hospital has extended its services to male patients.[10] The MBBS program at the college has an admission capacity of 200 students.[11] The institution operates two teaching hospitals: Smt. Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, with 877 beds, and Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, with 350 beds. Together, these hospitals and the parent college provide tertiary-level medical care to the city.

The college's Department of Microbiology is internationally acclaimed for its expertise in salmonella phage typing and serves as a World Health Organization collaborating centre for reference and training in streptococcal diseases for the South-East Asia region.[12] Additionally, it functions as a surveillance centre for AIDS. In 2007, the college established the country’s first Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centre specifically for children.[_citation needed_]

The college campus features a hostel, library, auditorium, and well-equipped laboratories. It also includes a sports ground and facilities for extracurricular activities, providing a well-rounded environment for students.[13]

The college's library, one of the oldest medical libraries in India, is housed in a new central library building that is part of the auditorium complex. It boasts a collection of 50,000 volumes, including a significant number of historic journals in the biomedical sciences.[14]

Life Sciences and Medical University rankings
Medical – India
NIRF (2023)[15] 29

In the 2024 National Institutional Ranking Framework assessment, Lady Hardinge Medical College was ranked 29th among medical colleges in India.[16]

The college's alumni are called Hardonians.[17] Notable alumni of the college include:

  1. ^ "Windfall for AIIMS in interim budget, three Central hospitals see slight increase". The Indian Express. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Director's Desk :: Lady Hardinge Medical College & associated SSK & KSC Hospitals". lhmc-hosp.gov.in. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Lady Hardinge Medical College". University of Delhi. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi". Medical Council of India. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b "A fine balance of luxury and care". Hindustan Times. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Dr. Ruth Young, CBE (1884–1983)". University of Dundee Archive Services. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi". Jiv Daya Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Lady Hardinge Medical College". Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Management". Lady Hardinge Medical College Alumni Association. Archived from the original on 25 November 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Lady Hardinge Medical College & Smt. S. K. Hospital". Citizen's Charters in the Government of India. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  11. ^ Gupta, Namrata (2020). Women in Science and Technology: Confronting Inequalities. Los Angeles: SAGE. p. 70. ISBN 978-93-5328-748-1.
  12. ^ "SEA NCD report" (PDF). World Health Organization.[_dead link_‍]
  13. ^ "Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi". Minglebox.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  14. ^ "History of Lady Hardinge Medical College". Lady Hardinge Medical College Alumni Association. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  15. ^ "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2023 (Medical)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 5 June 2023.
  16. ^ "India Rankings 2024: Medical". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  17. ^ a b "The Hardonians". Lady Hardinge Medical College Alumni Association of North America. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  18. ^ "Sujata Chaudhuri | RCP Museum". Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Lady Hardinge Medical College". Study Health Science. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Dr. Malvika Sabharwal". Practo Health. 2016. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2016.