INDIAN RAILWAY MEDIC A L SERVICE ASSOCIATION, Special Mention: Pages from EASTERN RAILWAY History of East Indian S P E C I A L Medinews Railway….. P O I N T S O F INTEREST: VOLUME 1 ISSUE 001 NOVEMBER 2012 Message from the General Manager, E Rly History of Eastern Railway Forward by the Chief Patron, CMD/E Rly The East Indian Railway (EIR) Company by separating the Eastern Introductory was incorporated in 1845 to connect East Railway's Danapur, Dhanbad and Mughals Editorial by India with Delhi. The first train ran here arai divisions from it. Presently, it MD/BRSH between Howrah and Hooghly on 15 comprises four divisions. August 1854. The management of the East Indian Railway was taken over by the INSIDE THIS British Indian government on 1 Jan 1925. ISSUE: The Eastern Railway was formed on 14 April 1952 by amalgamating three lower divisions of the East Indian Railway: Brief History of 4 Howrah, Asansol and Danapur, the the Medical entire Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) and Department the Sealdah division of the Services and 10 erstwhile Bengal Assam Railway. On 1 Facilities in Aug 1955, some portions of BNR were B.R.Singh Hosp separated from Eastern Railway and became the South Eastern Railway. Three New Koilaghat, the present day Cardiac Bypass 13 more divisions: Dhanbad, Mughalsarai Headquarters of Medical Department, Surgery in E Eastern Railway Eastern Railway Railway and Malda were formed later. Till 30 September 2002 ER consisted seven The Story of 16 divisions. On 1 October 2002 a new zone, Hyperbaric the East Central Railway was carved out Oxygen It is only a Fish 17 Bone! Focus on B. R Singh Hospital, Sealdah Dying mother 19 Website: brsingh-irms.org.com saved B R Singh Hospital ,established in 1934 ,was named after Baba Ramrick Frequenty 20 Asked Singh, the first Indian Agent of the Questions: Indian Railways and acting GM of the B. R. Singh Hospital, E Rly, Sealdah. then Eastern Bengal Railway in Pre- Independence Era. certifying their fitness. Later it was It was a Health Unit just besides the converted to a hospital with 36 beds. Sealdah Railway Station then to serve Now it is one of the best equipped the employees mostly of the Traffic Railway hospitals in India. Deptt. of Railways of Eastern Region Dr.S.S. Rathaur, Chief Medical Director & Addl. Comm, SJAB, Eastern Railway & Chief Patron 14, Strand Road,!2th Floor, New Koilaghat Building, Kolkata 700001 MESSAGE The idea of publishing a quarterly "Medinews" for railway beneficiaries of Eastern Railways was in my mind for quite some time as I often noticed that most of our clients are not aware of the kind of medical facilities available in different hospitals of Eastern Railways. This quarterly publication will contain reports on various procedures being done and the infrastructural up gradation taking place in the medical field over this zone. I am extremely happy to see this dream turning into a reality. The kind of moral support by our General Manager and the technical help by Controller of Stores in getting the issues printed in printing press of Eastern Railways are worth praise. I hope the "Medinews" will find a place in the hearts of its readers and will fulfill the purpose of its publication. I wish the Editorial board a grand success. (Dr.S.S. Rathaur) Editorial: Dr.A.K.Singh, Medical Director, BR Singh Hospital Sealdah, Eastern Railway Kolkata 700014 Adjudged as “Best Hospital" in Eastern Railway for 2010-11 and also a "Baby Friendly hospital", this hospital was also a major contributor in winning of overall "Comprehensive Health care At the outset, I would like to thank everyone Shield" of Railway Board 2010-11. involved in initiating the concept of a B R Singh Hospital with 465 beds continues to newsletter –"Medinews" and for their provide high quality services- preventive, unrelenting encouragement and support in promotive and curative to nearly 6.8 lakh bringing out its inaugural issue. beneficiaries. This is one of the few tertiary New concepts and innovative techniques are care hospitals where specialists are available being discovered regularly. It is amazing how round the clock, something not seen in some of the Medical Department of Eastern Railway the top corporate hospitals. under the dynamic leadership of CMD-E Rly has In order to update the medical knowledge, kept pace with the latest developments in the Annual Scientific conferences and CME field of Medicine. This Newsletter is an attempt Programmes are being held every year since to highlight a few of the services the medical 1971 starting with a symposium on 'Recent profession has been providing to the Railway advances in Myocardial infarction' as the first beneficiaries relentlessly along with highlights topic delivered by Dr J C Banerjee of Kolkata. of some activities of the Medical department, practical advice on some common diseases and Let us work together for the success of this guidelines to healthy life etc. Newsletter to be published quarterly The focus of the first issue of the Newsletter is on the Eastern Railway's zonal hospital, B R Singh Hospital (Dr.A.K.Singh) Pages from History of East Indian Railways Compiled by Dr S.S.Rathaur CMD-Eastern Railways First Indian CMO of East India Railway: In 1945 he was appointed Professor of Islamic History and Culture in Calcutta University while retaining the chair of Public Health and Hygiene, which he had held since 1931. He served as an adviser to the Simon Commission and was a member of the Bengal Legislative Council of which he Lt. Col. Dr. Hassan Suhrawardy, D.Sc., was Deputy President from 1923 to 1925. M.D., D.P.H., F.R.C.S. (1884 – 18 Sep 1946) As Chief Medical and Health Officer (1932-37) of the East Indian Railway he Life and family founded the railway's ambulance and Lt. Col. Dr. Hassan Suhrawardy was the nursing division. first Indian Chief Medical and Health Officer (1932-37) of the East Indian Knighthood Railway & a noted Surgeon, politician It was while he was Vice-Chancellor and and public servant in India. Dean of the Faculty of Medicine that he Suhrawardy was married to Sahibzada received his knighthood immediately after Shahbanu Begum and had one son and he had saved the life of Sir Stanley one daughter; Hassan Masud Suhrawardy Jackson from an attempt by Bina Das, a (1903–1963) and Shaista Suhrawardy female student who attempted to shoot Ikramullah. He is the grandfather of Salma Jackson in the Senate House of Sobhan, Naz Ikramullah and Princess the University of Calcutta in February, Sarvath of Jordan. 1932. Career His distinguished career in medicine and in the public service was crowned in 1939 Suhrawardy was the First Muslim Vice- by his appointment to succeed Sir Abdul Chancellor of Calcutta University (1930– Qadir as Adviser to the Secretary of State 1934) and the second Muslim from the for India. He retired from that post in 1944, sub-continent to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of He was active in the Muslim League, England. renouncing his knighthood a month before his death in August 1946. *************** First CMO-Bengal-Assam Railways Compiled by Dr.S.S. Rathaur CMD-Eastern Railways (From Wikipedia) Dr.Pares Chandra Datta University College, London for Born-1892 three months. He became FRCS, Died-1963 Edinburgh in 1920. Background and education After the completion of his studies, He was born in Silchar in Assam. he was commissioned in the Indian His family owned substantial tracts Medical Service as a Captain. After of land in Lakhai, presently in returning to India following a long Bangladesh, for several centuries. gap, he went as the Surgeon to His His father was a Senior Government Britannic Majesty's Consul Pleader who shifted to Silchar in the General in Meshed (now Meshad) in latter half of the 19th. Century, and Persia. Later he was also a Honorary eventually moved into Vakilpatty, a Surgeon (Eye, Ear and Throat) at the locality in Silchar. After studying in Campbell, Calcutta. the Government High School, He joined the Eastern Bengal Silchar, he joined Presidency Railways (EBR), in 1925 and was College, Calcutta. Later he joined appointed as District Medical Calcutta Medical College, ranking Officer of Kancharapara in first class second in the University, Bengal. In 1930 he travelled to before proceeding to England for Edinburgh on a 13-month study higher studies. leave, where he completed his Career Diploma in Public Health (DPH). He became a Member of the Royal After returning to the same post in College of Surgeons (MRCS), Kancharapara, he was transferred to London and in 1916 a Fellow of the Calcutta and appointed to the newly Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), created post of District Medical London. He was also a Member of Officer, Sealdah in 1933. the Royal College of Physicians The EBR authorities had decided to (MRCP), London. In 1917 he was build their own self-contained appointed as House Surgeon at the hospital for the treatment of their Royal Infirmary in Oldham. Later in officers and staff. On January 1, the same year he was appointed as 1942 he was appointed as the First- the Second House Surgeon. He Chief Medical Officer of the newly joined the Royal Infirmary in 1918 constituted Bengal Assam Railway and was appointed as an Assistant and was given the responsibility of Demonstrator of Anatomy at running the new B.R. Singh Memorial Hospital in Sealdah. As 1948 he joined the West Bengal a member of the newly constituted Government's Health Directorate as Bengal Assam Railway, he, like all Deputy Director (Supervision).