History Of PBM Hospital

Ref: Dr. M. M. Bagree
(Souvenir Four Decade Celebration- 1998 - 99)

Pre PBM Era

The main hospital in the city of Bikaner was housed in the present Fort School on the station road. It used to have the facility for the operations and a good operation theatre existed. Dr. Bandarwala was the Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Mrs. Nilakaptd Shiva Kamu, M.B.B.S.; M.R.C.P., L.M. (Rotunda), was the Principal Zenana Medical Officer, who joined on 14th January 1929. She used to operate on not only female patients but also on the male patients. The operations performed by her included amputation of the penis as well. Mr. Makhtool Singh was the dispensing compounder at that time that used to prepare mixtures and various ointments for the dressing of wounds.

Prior to that Dr. Leut. Col. Krishanrao Raghunathrao Tipnis, M.B.B.S. joined Bikaner State Medical Services on 5th November' 1922. His highness Ganga Singh Ji believed in the proverb, 'As is your pathology so is your practice' and therefore, Pathologist and Bacteriologist could find the place among the earlier staff members of the Capital Hospital. Dr. G. K. Mukherji was the first Pathologist and Bacteriologist of the state hospital, who joined Bikaner State Medical Services on 16th August' 1932. Dr. Bandarwara was replaced By Dr. V. S. Hariharan, who was F.R.C.S. and had joined Bikaner state Medical Services on 1st April 1933. The resident surgeon, Dr. A. F. Lasardo, F.R.C.S., soon joined the state Medical Services on 7th May' 1934 followed by Dr. S. N. Asopa as assistant surgeon, who joined on 1st June' 1934 and Dr. T. K. Uttam Singh, the Ophthalmic Surgeon, who joined state services on 14th October' 1934. Two lady doctors namely Dr. (Mrs.) Manapragda Sharda Krishna Rao, M.B.B.S.; D.G.O. (Madras) and Dr. Mrs. S. Janki, M.B.B.S. (Madras) joined the Bikaner State Medical Services in the month of July 1934 as Lady Assistant Surgeons, Women's General Hospital. Dr. Shiv Charan Das Gupta and Dr. Pyare Lal Rishi joined as assistant Surgeon on 26th April and 13th December' 1935 respectively. The royal palace used to have two Doctors, Dr. K. R. Tipnis and Dr. Shanker Lal Bhargava (Both M.B.B.S.). The country town hospitals included Ganganagar Hospital and Churu Hospital headed respectively by Dr. B. G. Tipnis and Dr. S. K. Mukherji, who had taken over their charges on 10th October' 1926 and 1st January 1930 respectively. The P.M.O. himself used to superwise the jail dispensary and Vaccination department.

P.B.M. Era

The Golden Jubilee of the reign was celebrated in the year 1937, the year which was again marked by severe famine and at one time it was thought that the programme of Golden Jubilee may have to be given up in favour of famine relief work but the rains made their way in the month of September and the programme of Golden jubilee continued! Two new State Hospitals in the memory of Prince Bijay Singh were erected By His Highness Ganga Singh Ji and were flame as Prince Bijay Singh Memorial Men's Hospital (316 beds) and Prince Bijay Singh Memorial Women's Hospital (215 beds) respectively. These hospitals were inaugurated by His Highness of Udaipur, Maharana Bhupal Singh, who used to maintain good relations with H. H. Ganga Singh Ji.

Dr. Himmat Singh, who had passed M.B.B.S. from Bombay, was very close to his Highness and was therefore, sent to England on deputation to pass the F.R.C.S. examination. After spending seven years in England, he returned with many degrees (M.R.C.S.; L.R.C.P. and D.O.M.S.) but not with the F.R.C.S. and therefore, he could not be made chief surgeon and had to be appointed as Ophthalmic surgeon in P.B.M. Hospital on 16th May 1937.

Dr. S.R. Moolgaokar, F.R.C.S. joined as P.M.O. and. Chief surgeon in 1937, soon after retiring from the post of Professor of Surgery, Grant Medical College, Bombay. He was regarded as the Doyen of surgery at that time and had head and shoulders above any surgeon in the country. Dr. Shanker Dinker Sahasrabudhe M.B.B.S. (Bombay) took over the charge of Pathologist and Bacteriologist on 14th August' 1937 from Dr. Gyanendra Krishan Mukherji, who was transferred to Chemical analysis Department.

In late thirties, the plan to start a Medical College at Bikaner was chalked out. But unfortunately for Bikaner, Dr. Moolgaokar, who had been trying for all this, had to leave prematurely for his personal reasons (for not getting the house of his choice inspite of assurance of H. H. and H. H. not liking his constant hammering of the same point again and again) and with him the proposal to start a Medical College was also dropped. (Dr. D.G. Ojha, when he was the Principal in 1964, discovered out of a heap of old records a bound detailed plan worked in late thirties with cross sections and costs plan of a future Medical College in Bikaner. It is amazing to note that the site and shape of the college as built today was identical to the one planned by the great ruler, minus the tail end of back block, which Dr. D.G. Ojha got completed in late sixties). Had a medical college been started in Bikaner at that time it would have been 13th in the country (three in Bombay, two in Calcutta and one each in Madras, Hydrabad, Lucknow, New Delhi, Vishakhapatnam, Mysore and Patna had already started).

Thereafter, with the premonition of second world war, when Jews flew out, Dr. Richard James Weingarten (M.D.-Berlin) was made the P.M.O. of the Medical Department of Bikaner State Services on 26th October' 1938. He had discovered 'tropical eosinophilia' in Bikaner and the disease is also known as Weingarten's syndrome. Dr. Alfred Hollositz (D.S.-Austria) also joined as dental surgeon same month. Dr. Chester M. Van Allen, M.D. took over the charge of Chief Surgeon, P.B.M. Men's Hospital on 1st August 1940 along with Dr. John J. Wolfe, M.D. as resident Surgeon. Dr. Shiv Charan Das Gupta was given the charge of anesthetist on 1st November 1940.

Shri Jaswant Singh Ji used to be Health Minister of the state at that time and His brother Bagh Singh Ji (subsequently Brigadier, who has provided references for many events in this article) was harbouring a ureteric calculus. Dr. Himmat Singh persuaded him for operation by Dr. Allen, the well known surgeon, but Mr. Bagh Singh was reluctant and left the hospital against medical advice. Dr. Himmat Singh came to his house and showed his unhappiness for disregarding the advice of the great surgeon, but the next day the stone passed out spontaneously.

The important lady doctors to join in the P.B.M. Women's Hospital after its inauguration included Dr. (Miss) Aleyamma Vazahparampil Chacko on 1st May 1937, Dr. (Mrs.) Perun Kulam Subramania Iyer M. Lakshmi, M.B.B.S. on 28th October 1938 and Dr. (Miss) Nalini Nates Dravid, M.B.B.S. (Bombay), F.R.C.S. (Edin.) on 1st Feb. 1940,

On the eve of Golden Jubilee of his reign, a hospital for tuberculosis patients was also built with a cost of Rs 2,25,000/ - having 92 beds. To start with Dr. Bhola Nath Bhargava joined as sub-assistant surgeon on 6th October 1937. But soon Dr. Shurvir Singh took over as Incharge on 4th December '1939 and Dr. Sant Lal Joined as sub-assistant Surgeon on 1st October 1943. Another addition was that of children's ward in the P.B.M. Women's Hospital, the fund for which was provided from the privy purse of His Highness Maharaja Ganga Singh Ji.

The provision was made for purchase of costly equipments and employment of various specialists to update the standard of the treatment. As a result, Many new doctors joined the P.B.M. Men's and Women's Hospitals including Dr. Rameshwar Prasad, F.R.C.S. (England) as second surgeon on 27th October 1941, Dr. Lalbhai Madhavlal Sanghvi, M.B.B.S., M.R.C.P. (London), D.T.M. & H. (England) as second Physician on 9th June 1942, Dr. Guruswami Narayanan, M.B.B.S., M.S (Madras) as Otolaryngologist on 2nd Sept. 1942, Dr. (Miss) Sumati Mangesh Telang, M.D. (Bombay) as Suptd. Medical Officer in Zenana Hospital, Dr. (Miss) Kunnathel Chandrika, M.B.B.S. as Lady Assist. Surgeon on 11th Sept. 1943 and Dr. Durga Dutta G. Ojha, B.Sc, M.S. (Bombay) as Assist. Surgeon on 31.12.1943.

Other developments included i) starting of Ganga X-ray and Radium Institute, the radium institute was the first in the Northen India at that time. Dr. Bishnu Narayan Khanna, M.B.B.S., D.M.R.E. turned as Radiologist on 26th Nov. 1942; ii) starting the Sadul Military Hospital, where Dr. Krishan Chandra Kalla, B.A., M.B.B.S. joined as Assist. Surgeon on 1st Nov. 1940; iii) Increasing the post of doctors from two to three in Royal Palace Hospital where Dr. Maheshwar Nath Kathju, M.B.B.S. joined as second palace surgeon on 5th October '1941 and iv) starting of Seth Surajmal Jalan Hospital at Ratangarh, where Dr. Sambhu Dayal Mahobia was made incharge as Assist. Surgeon on 1st Nov. 1940.

In addition to this a number of outdoor dispensaries were started in many towns apart from three in the Bikaner city itself. The towns having a outdoor dispensary with the post of sub-assistant surgeon included Railway workshop, Gangasahar, Gajner, Deshnoke, Sujnagarh, Sardarsahar, Chhapar, Rajaldesar, Dungergarh, Churu, Bhadra, Rajgarh, Reni (Taranagar), Nohar, Suratgarh, Hanumangarh Fort, Hanumangarh Jn., Ganganagar, Padampur, Karanpur, Raisinghnagar, and Bijaynagar. Furthermore, there was a travelling dispensary in Hanumangarh and the dispensaries with lady sub-assistant surgeon at Churu, Ganga nagar, Sujangarh, Sardarsahar apart from the one in Bikaner itself.

Bikaner State Medical Services got a jolt, when H.H. Ganga Singh ji came to know that his throat trouble is due to carcinoma. Though he went to Madras for its treatment, a well developed centre for the cancer management at that time, and though the surgeon operating upon H. H. claimed to have removed the tumour completely, it soon recurred and snatched a shining star from the Indian galaxy and left the Bikaner to its own fate. But while at Madras for the treatment of throat cancer, H.H. was on lookout for a good surgeon and brought Dr. Shanker Karunakar Menon who joined as the chief surgeon on 12th Feb.'1942. Very soon, Dr. Menon became close to Shri Bagh Singh Ji, being the brother of the then H. M., and who himself was the chief of staff for Bikaner. Once when Shri Bagh Singh Ji was suffering from appendicitis, he was not operated upon thinking him to be V.I.P. but when the pain became intolerable, he went to Dr. Menon in the midnight and told, "I just want to die and you either operate upon me or give me some injection so that I may die peacefully". Then the operation was performed at that very time but the appendix had perforated by that time. In that era of non-availability of antibiotics, Shri Bagh Singh Ji developed pyeli-phlebitis, a complication practically unknown today, which manifested as jaundice and toxaemia, and was managed vigorously and with the efforts of Dr. Menon and the luck of both of them, he recovered after ten days' struggle with death, thus, the V.I.Ps. used to be treated with caution those days also and as many time happens overcautiousness costs much to both the parties.

In February 1943, When H.H. Ganga Singh Ji left untimely for his heavenly abode, the development of state as a whole including the medical department came to a standstill.

After 1943, many departments were separated and as a result Dental, X-ray and Clinical Laboratory and research Deptt. made their independent existence. Dr. Nazar Singh Bhandari joined as assistant dentist on 1st Aug. '1944. Dr. (Miss) Firoza Sorabji joined as Lady dental surgeon prior to that but continued to work in P.B.M. Women's Hospital. New Hospitals were started at Sujangarh, Sardar Sahar and Bhadra.

Penicillin, though discovered in 1939, was seen for the first time in Bikaner in 1944-45, just before the end of Second World War. A plane carrying penicillin vials en route from U.S.A. to China was to land in Bikaner for refueling but got somehow entangled in the wires and trees around the landing ground of Bikaner. The plane thus, got racked and the penicillin vials were seen by the people of Bikaner for the first time.

Public Health and Sanitation department was separated from the medical side in 1945 and Dr. Raghubir Sahai Bhatnagar, M.B.B.S., D.P.H., L.T.M. was appointed as the Deputy Director of Public Health on 6th July '1945. The charge of the Director, public health was kept with the P.M.O., Dr. Weingarten. The post of District Health Officers was created at Churu, Ganganagar and Sujangarh and Drs. Rameshwar Goyal, Trilok Nath Kochhar (Both L.M.P.) and Dr. Sant Ram Kankaria was appointed as District Health Officers in 1947.

Shrimati Ancha Bai Binnani Hospital and Maternity and Child welfare centre was started in 1946 in side the walled city and Dr. S. D. Mahobia was made the in-charge of it. The other two doctors: Dr. Ms. Prakash Wati Bhatnagar as Lady Sub-assistant surgeon was transferred there on 1st Feb. 1946   and Dr. Lajpat Rai as sub-assistant surgeon on 15th June' 1946.

The new doctors who joined at P.B.M. Men's Hospital in 1946, included Dr. Maheshwar Dayal Mahobia, and Dr. Krishan Dayal Gupta as assistant surgeons, Dr. Keshav Dev Sharma was promoted as assistant anaesthetist in 1946, Dr. Ganga Das Maru and Dr. Prem Chand came to P.B.M. Hospital in 1945 while Dr. Surya Deo Joshi, Dr. Shiv Narayan Vyas and Dr. Asha Ram came in 1946. Dr. S.P. Kaushik and Dr. Jagat Narayan Bhatnagar came to P.B.M. Hospital in the beginning of 1948, all as sub-assistant surgeons. Similarly in P.B.M. Women's Hospital many new doctors joined. These included Dr. (Mrs.) Tara Mathur as Lady Assistant Surgeon for anesthesia in 1945, Dr. (Mrs.) Mohd. Sulaiman and Dr. (Miss) Shiv Kumari Sharma as lady sub-assistant surgeons in 1946. Dr. Hans Kumar joined as Assistant surgeon and Dr. Ram Prakash Sharma as sub-assistant surgeon in Tuberculosis Hospital in   1946.

The other doctors who joined Bikaner State Medical Service and were posted in rural dispensaries but later on came to lime light included Dr. (Mrs.) Oommen and Dr. Harkishan Lal Khanna in 1940, Dr. Anand Bihari Lal in 1941, Dr. Nand Gopal Bhatnagar and Dr. Harish Chand Vora in 1943, Dr. Brij Lal Mahatma in 1944, Dr. Shiv Kumar in 1947.

With the formation of Rajasthan in 1949, the medical services were amalgamated and many of the specialists of Bikaner State Medical Services joined S.M.S. Medical College at Jaipur. In fact, out of all the specialists there, about 50% were from the Bikaner State Medical Service and the balance from the remaining 25 states in fact, excluding Medical Colleges, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Baroda were the only three hospitals (to the east of suez) recognized for house surgeon's post for F.R.C.S. (London) since 1946.

After the formation of Rajasthan, the Bikaner, the state to provide half of the state's specialist, lagged behind due to political reasons, as most of the times, it was represented by the opposition M.L.A. Dr. S. K. Menon was selected as the first permanent principal and head of the surgery department of S.M.S. Medical College Jaipur. Dr. G. N. Sen was then transferred from Jaipur to Bikaner who soon resigned and the department of surgery having more than 200 beds was managed by Dr. M. N. Kathju. After about four months, Dr. D. G. Ojha joined.

In the mid fifties, Govt., of Rajasthan decided to start another medical college in the state to meet the growing need of doctors. The place for new medical college was hotly disputed. A committee consisting of Dr. C. S. Patel, Dr. Shanti Lal and Col. (Dr.) R. M. Kasliwal was appointed to inspect various premier hospitals in the state to see if they could provide a nucleus of opening a medical college there. This generated great waves of expectation among those working in P. B. M. Hospital. A task force was soon constituted by Dr. S. C. Mehta, which included Dr. G. K. Mukherji, Dr. M. N. Kathju and Dr. Himmat Singh, to make up a case for opening a Medical College at Bikaner. Dr. S. N. Misra and Dr. R. N. Mathur were also assigned jobs by this task force. The committee constituted by the Govt, of Rajasthan duly visited this hospital and was completely satisfied so far as technical or demographic data were concerned and thus, Bikaner got the priority.