Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital to establish museum on its premises soon

Mumbai: The Grant Medical College (GMC) and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals are all set to start a museum to display the glorious history of the illustrious institution. The institute has already received a state government grant of ₹5 crores to start construction.

The idea of establishing a museum to archive the documents took shape when some of the former students went to retrieve their student ID cards. They were shocked to see the buildings and archives in such bad shape. A trust was established in 2007 to carry out the project after the notion of funding a museum to preserve the records and history of the prestigious institution emerged at that time. The eight-member "Friends of GMC" trust met with the dean in July of last year to initiate the process.

The eight-member trust includes Dr H B Chandalia, a well-known endocrinologist at Jaslok Hospital, Dr Shubhada Pandya, Dr Jehangir Sorabjee, Dr Rohini Kelkar, Dr Shrinivas Desai, Dr Jairam, Dr C A Tara Rao and Dr Asha Chakraborty. “We formed the trust in 2007, with Dr Noshir H Wadia as chairman,” said Dr Asha Chakraborty.

The institute has now started work with a war footing after receiving the state government grant of ₹5 crores. “The museum will be in the original medical college building, a ground-plus-two structure which also houses the JJ Marg police station,” said Dr Pallavi Saple, dean of GMC and JJ Group of Hospitals. 

“The first floor has two wings and the second floor has one,” elaborated Dr Saple. “One wing can be dedicated to the history of medicine in India, including allopathy and traditional Indian medicine, another to medicine in western countries, and yet another to the history of GMC and Sir JJ Hospitals. Once the building is renovated, the artefacts, busts and pictures, some of which are 100 to 150 years old, will be moved in'" he told Hindustan Times.

According to Dr. Saple, the organisation is reaching out to its alumni in the hopes that some of them may make significant contributions to the museum. She referred to Dr Sunil Pandya as example for having a wealth of knowledge regarding this institution's past. A graduate of the 1957 class, Dr. Sunil Pandya has authored books on the history of the GMC and Sir JJ Hospital and their contributions to Indian medicine, reports the daily. 

The historic medical building will be renovated under the direction of a conservation architect, for which candidates like Abha Narain Lamba and Vikas Dilawari are being considered because it is a part of a heritage structure. By the third week of March, work is anticipated to start. “The state’s public works department (PWD) has promised to finish the renovation work in the next four to six months,” Dr Saple said.

Many have also supported GMC in building the museum in the boys’ common room (also a heritage structure) inside the hospital premises. The 159-year-old structure that includes the boys' common room has served as the hospital's infectious diseases ward before becoming home to its bacteriology department.

In addition to working for the museum, Dr. Mohan Algotar, a 1957 batch graduate and the former vice-dean and professor of surgery at GMC, indicated that attempts will be made to digitally preserve historic literature. “It is good that the museum work is finally on the fast track and that too in the old medical college building. We are happy this great institution’s history will now be safely kept for coming generations," he added.

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