Mumbai’s BYL Nair Hospital to turn 100 next month

On Wednesday, BYL Nair Hospital kick-started its month-long centenary celebrations with the inauguration of the genome sequencing machine by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. On September 4, the hospital will turn a century old, holding testimonies of untold stories starting from the freedom movement, advancements in the field of medicine, and more recently the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I have seen the college grow with time from a sapling to a fragrant tree. Hundred years ago, it was just a one-storey building with 20 beds which has now turned into a major civic-run hospital. Now, when I look at the towering building of the hospital, it gives me goose bumps,” said Dr Rustom Phiroze Soonawala, a 93-year-old alumnus (1948 batch) of Topiwala National Medical College and its associated BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai Central.

BYL Nair Hospital staff pose for photos with an installation during the centenary celebrations on Wednesday. (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

On September 4, the hospital will turn a century old, holding testimonies of untold stories starting from the freedom movement, advancements in the field of medicine, and more recently the Covid-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, BYL Nair Hospital kick-started its month-long centenary celebrations with the inauguration of the genome sequencing machine by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The hospital stands on Dr AL Nair Road, which is just a five-minute walk from Mumbai Central railway station. Every day, the hospital records more than 2,000 patient footfalls at their outpatient department (OPD). But very few know that this is the first hospital in the state that started with a nationalistic fervour, with the motto “For the Indians, By the Indians”, during the freedom movement against Britishers in the 1920s.

Back in that time, the island city had only one medical college —Grant Medical College (GMC) with its attached Sir JJ Hospital. As India was still under British rule, Indian medical students and doctors faced discrimination at the hands of foreign faculty members at GMC.

“Only a handful of Indian students were allowed to study medicine in GMC. But no Indian doctors were appointed at JJ hospital, irrespective of their academic excellence and dedication. It was at this time, that India was swept by nationalism under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Local nationalist leaders raised the need for a hospital free from discriminations,” said Dr Henal Shah, head of psychiatry department at Nair hospital.

Through donations from Tilak Swaraj Funds, the National Medical College was established in a rented building of a pharmaceutical company in Byculla on September 4, 1921. As all medical colleges need to have a hospital to practice, People’s Free Hospital was set up at Chinchpokli with 20 beds. This laid the foundation of the first Indian medical college and hospital in the state.

“Four years later, in 1925, Dr AL Nair, proprietor of Powell and Company which dealt in medical supplies and equipment, donated two acres of land, on which the hospital stands today. He also helped the hospital with equipment,” said Dr Rajan Nerurkar, head of pharmacology department of the hospital. It is this person after whom the road Dr AL Nair Road was named.

Soon, the hospital faced a severe financial crunch and was struggling to function. “It was during this time that MN Desai, popularly known as Topiwala Desai, made a generous contribution of ₹5 lakh to the college. This initiated the expansion plan of the medical college along with its hospital,” said Dr Shah. “To honour him, the college was named Topiwala National Medical College.”

But as the University of Bombay was under the control of the British, the National Medical College was affiliated with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Bombay. Students were admitted for Licentiate Medical Practitioner (LMP) course, which was just a diploma course in medicine. It was in 1946, when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) took over charge of the hospital, University of Bombay affiliated the college and MBBS course was initiated the next year.

“Since then, we have come a long way. Now, we have 16 buildings on the campus with a 1,400-bed hospital,” said Dr Rerurkar.

Nair hospital is also the first civic-run hospital that performed open cardiac surgery in Mumbai, procured the first CT scan machine and started India’s first audiology and speech therapy.

The hospital’s contribution during the Covid-19 pandemic is also phenomenal. It was the first hospital that was converted into a dedicated Covid hospital in Mumbai in April 2020.

The microbiology team of the hospital runs the molecular diagnostic reference laboratory in Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, Chinchpokli — one of the high-tech laboratories in the state. On March 11 last year, the laboratory detected the first confirmed Covid-19 case in the city.

“Since the outbreak of the virus last year in March, we have treated over 18,000 Covid-19 patients. We were the model Covid-19 hospital where around 600 resident doctors along with specialists worked round the clock for Covid patients,” said Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean of the hospital. “We also made records by delivering over 1,000 babies of Covid-infected mothers,” he added.

“We have recently procured genome sequencing machines which will help us identify unknown variants of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. We are the first laboratory in the city to do genome sequencing,” said Dr Jayanti Shastri, in-charge of the lab and head of the microbiology department of Nair hospital.

A month before it turns 100, Dr Ajit Desai, a senior cardiologist and an alumnus of 1971 batch said, “Nair is not just a medical college, it is an emotion to us. We are what we are because of the faculty. Even after so many years, the alumni of the college are closely associated, like a family. I am proud of my college.”

“In our college days, we didn’t stress about grades”

Dr Rustom Phiroze Soonawala was 20-years old when he sought admission at Topiwala National Medical College, which was then named National Medical College, in 1948. He did not at the time that after 43 years, he would be awarded Padma Shri for his work in the field of family planning.

His father, Phiroze Framji Soonawala, was the head of medicine at the college. When he was younger, he would often accompany his father to the hospital, which developed his inclination towards medicine. The college started MBBS degree course in 1947 and his elder brother Jamshed Phiroze Soonawala took admission in the first batch. Next year, he enrolled for the degree as well.

Talking to HT, the 93-year-old gynaecologist said, “During our time, there wasn’t so much pressure of grades. We were motivated by our passion. I had only scored 51% but got through the medical college. Those were the best days of our lives.”

Along with their medical studies, the students were equally involved in extra-curricular activities, especially sports. Each year, the students competed with the other two medical colleges— Grant Medical College and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College.

“Students from Nair college always outshined in sports. We had medical students who had even performed at state-level in tennis and football,” he said.

During his batch, there were around 50 students who were pursuing MBBS with him. “We enjoyed our life along with studies. There was no unhealthy competition. The group was small, so we stayed like a family. The focus was more on practical than grades, which helped mould us into better doctors,” he said.

He said he gets nostalgic when he visits his college and passes by places where he used to hang out with his friends. “With every passing year, we have grown together. Now, the college has so many buildings, beaming with young students who remind me of my old days,” he said.

In 1991, he won Padma Shri for introducing an Intrauterine contraceptive device that allowed women to plan their pregnancy. He has also been well associated with the Hindi-film industry for years. He delivered celebrity children including Ranbir, Kareena and Karishma Kapoor.

“Nair is an emotion to us”

To well-known cardiologist Dr Ajit Desai, Topiwala National Medical College is not just an educational institute but an emotion. He recalls how he along with his friends would hang out on a small porch at the expanding college campus. He was nominated for Padma Shri in 2018.

Desai joined the college in 1971 along with 70 other students. “That group had become a family. We had a tremendous bond. There was a certain admission quota for students from Africa, so we really enjoyed the amalgamation of cultures,” he said.

Along with studies, the college has several co-curriculum activities including drama. Every year, for four days, students used to organise dramas at Rabindranatya Mandir.

“As the campus was still limited, we had one porch where, during off-duty hours, we used to sit with friends. So many love stories between the students started from there who are happily married together,” he said.

In 2005, the TM Nair Medical College Global Alumni Association was established. “Even after years of graduating, the alumni who live in different parts of the globe are closely associated with each other,” said Dr Desai, who is the president of the association.

Until 1994, students with 15 years of residency in the city were qualified for admission. “Now, students from all across the country come to study at the premier medical college which has a remarkable teaching faculty,” he said.