Institute Of Child Health

Dr. K.C. Chaudhuri, the dean of Indian paediatrics, founded the Institute of Child Health in Kolkata in 1956. On January 16, 1957, the institute was officially opened by the prime minister of the time, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It is India's first paediatric institute.

A new era for organised paediatrics in India began as a result of the incident. It was the first time in India that the need for institutions that care for children's health was acknowledged. Dr. K.C. Chaudhuri had in mind not only a children's hospital but also a centre for teaching and research where the child would be taken into account in his/her entirety, taking into account their emotional, intellectual, physical, and social requirements as well as their relationship to the environment (Chaudhuri 1958a). In India, Dr. K.C. Chaudhuri introduced the idea of comprehensive and positive child care for the first time.

On August 12, 1954, the Institute of Child Health's first cornerstone was set. The construction of a compact, L-shaped structure with an 11,000 square foot footprint for both the in-patient and out-patient departments was approved by the Corporation of Calcutta. The buildings' construction got under way on April 14, 1955, the day the Corporation gave its approval.

On January 23, 1956, the institute's outpatient department with complete laboratory services started. On June 15th, 1956, the in-patient section with its fifty beds opened. Additionally, there were services for the newborn.