The medical school building in Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh, Sept. 13: The Dr John Berry White Medical School here will soon be developed into a heritage museum.
In 1858, a 24-year-old British surgeon, John Berry White, arrived in Assam to work under the East India Company . He was posted in Upper Assam as an assistant surgeon and served there for 24 years, rising to the position of civil surgeon in the then undivided Lakhimpur district.
In 1882, following his retirement, he donated his entire life savings of Rs 50,000 (worth more than Rs 10 million today) for the setting up of a medical school in Dibrugarh. White passed away on November 19, 1896, in London. Four years after his death, in 1900, the Berry White Medical School was set up at Grahambazar here.
Dr John Berry White’s bust. Pictures by Avik Chakraborty
Dibrugarh deputy commissioner Laya Madduri said they have sent a proposal to Oil India Limited seeking financial assistance for the preservation and renovation of the ancient building.
'We have already sent a proposal with a budget estimate of Rs 1.5 crore to Oil India Limited and they have expressed interest in restoring the heritage building. Very soon we will sign an MoU with them. The medical school is the pride of the entire Northeast and we are planning to develop it into a heritage museum where people can witness the rich history of Dibrugarh,'' Madduri said.
She said the district administration has already talked to experts who can restore the heritage building.
Principal secretary of the state health and family welfare department Samir Kumar Sinha said Rs 1 crore would be spent from the government funds for the renovation of the medical school.
'On Sunday , a meeting was organised between the senior citizens of Dibrugarh and Sinha, where the former urged Sinha to restore the building and develop it into a heritage site,'' an official of Dibrugarh health department said.
In 2010, the erstwhile Congress government, during its annual budget, had announced Rs 1 crore for the renovation and preservation of the Dr Berry White Medical School as a heritage site under the chief minister's special scheme.
But the project could not take off for reasons unknown.
'It has been a dream of the people of Dibrugarh to have the building of the Dr John Berry White Medical School on AT Road here restored and preserved as a heritage site. Policy Group For Peoples Rights (PGPR), Dibrugarh, has been campaigning persistently since 2009 for its restoration and preservation. We are happy to see the project of restoration and preservation take off and thankful to the government of Assam for taking steps to fulfil our dream. It is also heartening to know the restoration work is being entrusted to Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which is internationally acknowledged,' PGPR president and convener of INTACH, Dibrugarh, Aradhana Kataki said .
