Mysore Medical College

Mysore Medical College is one of the oldest and most reputed medical colleges in India. Founded in 1924 by Sri Krishnarajendra Wodeyar, it was the first in the Karnataka region and the seventh in India. It is a Government medical college and is hence also known as the Government Medical College, Mysore.

Admissions
Admissions to undergraduate courses can be gained through the CET (Common Entrance Test) conducted by the Government of Karnataka for 85% of the seats for which residents of Karnataka are eligible. In addition to this the admission to 15% seats of the all India Central Government quota, which is open to any citizens of India, is through the All India Pre-Medical / Pre-Dental Entrance Examination conducted by the CBSE for the Government of India.

Admissions to 75% the Postgraduate programs is through the Post-Graduate entrance exam conducted by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. Only residents of Karnataka are eligible for admission through that quota. The admissions for the 25% seats of the All India Central Government quota are through the All India Post Graduate Medical entrance examination conducted by AIIMS. These seats are open to any citizens of India, irrespective of the state of residence.

History
Since there were no medical institutions in the erstwhile state of Mysore, a scheme for providing medical education was started in 1881 under which select students were given scholarships to undergo training in Madras and Bombay, returning to the kingdom to work as Hospital Assistants.

After the Madras Presidency expressed its inability to admit students from the Mysore State, the Government of Mysore sanctioned another scheme in April 1917 as a part of which a "Mysore Medical School" was started at Bangalore to train the then called "Sub Assistant Surgeons". Trainees had to undergo a course for 4 years to qualify as a Licensed Medical Practitioner (LMP). In 1924 the "Mysore Medical School" was upgraded and was now called the "Mysore Medical College". The college was affiliated to the University of Mysore and the trainees were now granted medical degrees. Mysore Medical College was the first medical college in the state of Mysore and only the seventh in the whole country at this time. At the request and insistence of Sri Krishnadevaraja Wodiyar the College was shifted from Bangalore to Mysore in 1930.

The Mysore Medical School continued functioning in Bangalore for a few years and was eventually shut down a couple of years after Bangalore Medical College came into existence in 1954.

Construction
The foundation stone was laid in 1930 by Sri Krishnadevaraja Wodiyar and the main building was constructed by Boraiah Basavaiah & Sons, a famous contractor of Mysore. It was further expanded in 1940. The Krishnarajendra Hospital ( K R Hospital ) was constructed at a cost of Rs. 3,65,000 and started as a 100 bed Hospital with X-ray apparatus. In contrast, Cheluvamba hospital, earlier known as Vanivilas Hospital which was built in 1880 with 24 beds, was upgraded to a 200 bedded hospital in 1939. It was further expanded in 1954 and the new Out-patient Department block for Obstetrics and Gynaecology was built in 1997. New facilities have been continuously added on to the existing infrastructure, but the most impressive of all is the new multistoried OPD building with its ultra-modern air-conditioned ICCU which along with the medical wards on upper floors was added on to the K R Hospital complex in 1998. Other relatively new structures include Blood Bank and the Burns Ward.

Alumni
The college has a vast network of alumni. The Alumni association mobilized funds for a modern auditorium which is now being used by the college.

Present status
Although still one of the most reputed colleges, there have been recent reports of government apathy and neglect towards modernising the hospital and providing proper staff and infrastructure. It has been reported that the college is running on less than half of the necessary infrastructure.