Around three dozen doctors, three of them women, from various parts of the then British Malabar huddled at the Calicut Town Hall on March 28, 1931. What they set up nine decades ago later laid the foundation for the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Kerala.
From December 13, the Kozhikode branch of the IMA is celebrating the 90th anniversary of this oldest collective of doctors in the State.
According to sources, B. Rama Baliga was the first president and V. Krishna Menon the first secretary of the Malabar District Medical Association formed in 1931. The first meeting was attended by doctors from Calicut, Tellichery, Cannanore, Badagara, Vythir, Tirur, Tanur, Ponnani and Palghat. This was just three years after the first association of doctors practising modern medicine in the country was formed in then Calcutta.
Sankar Mahadevan, secretary, IMA, Kozhikode, said that doctors in the then Travancore and Cochin States formed their associations only later. On May 28, 1946, the name of the Malabar association was changed to the Malabar branch of the IMA. Till October 1, 1957, it was under the Madras State branch. When the State of Kerala was formed, all these branches were affiliated to the Kerala State branch.
Dr. Mahadevan said that J.A. Jayalal, national president, IMA, would open the celebrations at the IMA Hall on December 13. In the next six days, basic life-support camps, medical camps for doctors and relatives, musical events, book exhibition and literary events would be held. Senior doctors and past presidents would be honoured. Painting exhibition and quiz programmes would be organised for students and there would medical and nursing education events too. The valedictory event would be held on December 19.
