Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital
| Nair | |
Former names | National Medical College |
|---|---|
| Motto | विद्या नो रुग्विमुक्तये |
Motto in English | May we be free from disease through education |
| Type | Public Medical College and Tertiary Level Teaching Hospital |
| Established | 1921 |
| Budget | ₹ 7,00,00,000 |
Officer in charge | Dean |
| Dean | DR. Ramesh N. Bharmal |
Academic staff | 250 (approx) |
| Undergraduates | 120 per year |
| Postgraduates | 100 per year |
| Location | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Website | http://www.tnmcnair.com/ |
Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital is one of the foremost public medical colleges in India. It is located in the city of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra. It is attached to the Bai Yamunabai Laxman (BYL) Nair Charitable Hospital, an 1800-bed tertiary care center. The combined setup of medical college and hospital was established in 1921. The institution is affiliated with Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.
History
The college holds a special place in the history of India as the first hospital made and run by Indians under the British empire. The other two big hospitals in the city at the time, KEM Hospital and Sir J.J. hospital, were managed by the British. TNMC was opened during the heady days of the independence movement in 1921 and was appropriately named National Medical College. It was then taken over by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and since then the progress of the college has been going up steadily.
Through a donation by M.N. Desai Topiwala the college was upgraded in 1946 and was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu. Alexander Fleming also visited the college.
Today, with the infrastructure of the 1,800-bed BYL Nair Charitable Hospital behind it, TNMC makes an ideal training ground for budding medicos of the 21st century. It provides training courses in more than 25 medical and allied branches, including 9 superspecialty courses.
The college, with an annual budget of 7 crores, has more than 250 senior teaching staff members who are assisted by 400 resident doctors. Currently TNMC accepts 120 medical students each year for the MBBS program through Maharashtra state common entrance test (MH-CET) and All India pre-medical test (PMT) combined together.
Social life
TNMC & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital has a popular annual intercollegiate festival: Aarambh. It is attended not only by medical students but students of various other faculties in the city. Aarambh has cultural events, dance, drama and singing competitions as well as sports events.
The college also has an annual Marathi festival named Shravansari which means "The rains of Shravan (A month in Hindu Calendar)" in Marathi. This festival is held on a large scale and attended by medical students and celebrities from Marathi film industry.
The students of TNMC are recognised as students of Nair around the globe in professional circles. Colloquially the students are known as and they are proud to call themselves "Nairites".
The slogan of the students is "Yalla Gapad Naala Gapad, Haiyyo Haiyyo". Though the origin of this slogan is a mystery, this slogan unites all Nairites at all events and social gatherings.
Administration
The college is headed by dean DR. Ramesh Bharmal, and employs a number of medical, paramedical, nursing and support staff. It is run by the local civic body (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) referred to as Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The corporation runs three medical colleges in Mumbai: 1. Seth GS Medical College & KEM Hospital, 2. Lokmanya Tilak Medical College & Sion Hospital, 3. Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital. The Maharashtra state government runs the Grant Medical College & Sir JJ group of Hospitals in Mumbai. Getting an admission to these four premier institutes is highly competitive with thousands of students trying their luck every year. According to current student preference and rankings, Seth GS ranks 1st in Maharashtra with TNMC and LTMC tied on 2nd spot and GMC coming in 4th.
TNMC offers professional program in medicine: Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) which leads to the license to practice medicine in India. It also offers programs in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, speech therapy and audiology, and postgraduate courses in various disciplines. The Department of Preventive and Social Medicine and the Department of Ophthalmology are considered to be amongst the best in the country as seen by recent preferences of top rankers in post graduate medical entrance tests.
TNMC has a sister college for dental studies: Nair Hospital Dental College (NHDC), Mumbai which is a premier institute for budding dental surgeons in Maharashtra state. For all administrative and clinical purposes NHDC is considered a separate institute altogether from TNMC. The campuses of the two institutes are a stone's throw from each other.
Emblem
The simple design of the college emblem, which depicts a staff entwined by a winged serpent, is a blend of history, mythology and modernity.
The central staff represents the barber's pole. It symbolises the role played by barbers as surgeons and practitioners of healing arts in olden times. The pole also stands for splints and bandages that symbolise emergency medical care. The serpent is the mascot of the Greek god of healing, Aesculapius and represents wisdom. The wings are a symbol of the speed of healing and change in methods of healing.
The quote in Sanskrit, at the base of the emblem means 'May we be free from disease through education'. The college emblem was adopted in 1956 during the tenure of Dr. L. Monteiro as dean.