TIRUPATI: The golden jubilee celebrations of Sri Venkateswara Medical College (SVMC) took off on a colourful note here today. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman DK Audikesavulu Naidu formally inaugurated the celebrations by lighting the traditional lamp at the SVMC Auditorium, which was packed with alumni.
Chronicling the five-decade history of the college, SVMC principal PV Ramasubba Reddy said the then Union Finance Minister Morarji Desai laid the foundation stone for the college in April 1959 in the presence of the then Chief Minister Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy.
The college was inaugurated by the then Union Home Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1960. N Radhakrishna Ruia,a businessman from Mumbai, donated Rs 5 lakh for the construction of the college hospital, while the TTD contributed Rs 10 lakh.
The college began functioning with an intake of 50 students.
The number of MBBS seats was increased to 100 in 1964 and to 150 in 2000. It introduced postgraduate courses in different subjects in 1975-76.
Reddy recalled the endeavour of first principal C Venkataramaiah and SVRR superintendent B Shanmukeswara Rao for the growth of the medical institution, which has several distinguished alumni.
SVRR Hospital and Maternity Hospital Superintendents Venkateswarlu and Bharati, Chittoor and Tirupati MPs Siva Prasad and Chinta Mohan and Congress leader M Thippeswamy, who are old students of the college, felt that the TTD should liberally fund the medical institution for its development keeping in view the constraints of the State Government.
Chinta Mohan said the growth of medical college was rather slow till 2007 due to various reasons. He underlined the need for collective efforts for introduction of more PG courses.
Responding to the request of Maternity Hospital Superintendent Bharati, Audikesavulu Naidu said the TTD would take up construction of an OP block and administrative office in the hospital, which was approved by the TTD earlier.
The TTD would also take care of sanitation, security, power and water supply in SVRR Hospital as per the recent State Government order.
Roads and Buildings Minister Galla Aruna Kumari, who was the chief guest at the inaugural function, did not attend owing to health reasons.
Former MLA R Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian Nursing Council president T Dileep Kumar and others were present on the occasion.