A few days ago, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College (TMC), the oldest such institution in the state, which was formally opened in 1951.

Besides being the first such facility, the TMC and the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), which was set up on the same campus three years later, have a great historical relevance because of the first patient who sought treatment there seven decades ago.

It might be a historical irony that the person who inaugurated the Medical College Hospital became its first patient — Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

According to records, Nehru had inaugurated both the TMC and the MCH in 1951 and 1954, respectively.

According to an old book, Nehru, who had inaugurated the MCH in February 1954, suffered a minor injury in one of his fingers after it accidentally got caught in a metal grill of the building.

He was given immediate treatment under the guidance of eminent surgeon, the late Dr R. Kesavan Nair who was also the founding superintendent of the medical college.

“Jawaharlal Nehru, who came to inaugurate the Medical College Hospital, suffered a wound as his finger was caught in the metal grill. Thus, Nehru became the first patient of the hospital and Dr Kesavan Nair became the first doctor who provided treatment there,” the Malayalam book said.

Titled Dr Kesavan Nair: Vaidyasastrathile Ithihasam (The Legend of Medical Sciences), the book, compiled as a memoir of the late medical exponent years ago, has apicture of Nehru inaugurating the MCH.

Erstwhile Travancore king, Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, who had donated Rs 4 lakh to set up the medical college, is seen standing along with the Prime Minister in the photograph during the function.

Veteran neurologist and medical historian Dr K. Rajasekharan Nair said a large number of people had gathered at Ulloor, the place where the hospital is located, to get a glimpse of Nehru on the inaugural day.

One among the several renowned disciples of Kesavan Nair, Rajasekharan still has vivid memories of his teacher’s detailed account about the historic day.

“Nair was one of the few persons who had toiled hard to make the first Medical College a reality here. He said a large number of people thronged the hospital premises to see Nehru, who was very popular among the common people,” Rajasekharan told PTI.

Several locals who had gathered there tried to greet and shake hands with Nehru and Nair. It was during the rush that Nehru got injured, Rajasekharan said.

Dr Kesavan Nair attended to the “patient” immediately and dressed his wound, the octogenarian added.

“I was just 10 or 11 years old when the incident happened. Though I really wanted to take part in the function, I could not go as Ulloor was far away. But, I got the chance to study under Dr Kesavan Nair and learn about these incidents from him in the later years,” he said.

After all these years, the Government Medical College Hospital here is now considered one of the largest multi-specialty treatment centres in the region that provides affordable and comprehensive healthcare under the state sector.

Besides the TMC and the MCH, the sprawling campus houses a number of significant institutions, including the colleges of nursing and pharmaceutical sciences, the Sree Chithira Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, the Regional Cancer Centre.

The 70th anniversary celebrations of the TMC were inaugurated on August 26.