BackSCIENCE_HEALTH
A century of care: How Bombay’s elite built an institution that broke the Raj’s glass ceiling
The piece traces the origins and evolution of King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) and its associated medical college, highlighting early Indian leadership in decolonizing medical education, the hospital’s 1926 inauguration, and contemporary debates over renaming and public health trust. It also notes a centennial commemorative volume and recent public-health data that frame current challenges.
Why It Matters
The timeline shows how elite philanthropy and Indian leadership helped found a public hospital that challenged colonial control, and it situates ongoing debates about renaming and public health access within a century of reform.
Timeline
8 Events
May 3, 2026: Renaming proposal for KEM Hospital reported
May 3, 2026
Billionaire Mangal Prabhat Lodha’s proposal to rename KEM Hospital to Kaushalyashresth Eklavya Memorial Hospital is reported, prompting outrage among alumni and members of the diaspora trained at KEM.
May 2026: Centennial compendium published to mark KEM's centennial
May 2026
To mark KEM’s centennial year in 2026, alumni published the scholarly volume Annals of Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College and KEM Hospital: Nationalism, Foundation and Growth, detailing the institution’s history and achievements.
April 2026: NSO health data highlights public-hospital usage
April 2026
Data from the NSO’s 80th round survey on health indicates only about a fifth of patients in Maharashtra go to public hospitals, with private healthcare costs rising faster than inflation.
February 15, 1926: KEM Hospital inaugurates
February 15, 1926
King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) opened. British architect GW Wittet designed the plans to ensure natural ventilation, and the hospital was described as the first in India to be staffed and controlled by non-official members of the Indian medical profession.
1926: KEM and GS Medical College mount a decolonization campaign
1926
KEM and GS Medical College became the first medical institutions in the country to mount a decolonization campaign.
June 22, 1910: First general meeting of the Bombay Presidency King Edward Memorial Association
June 22, 1910
The Bombay Presidency King Edward Memorial Association held its first general meeting to discuss the proposed memorial hospital. The meeting, presided by the governor of Bombay, included an executive committee with Sir David Sassoon, Sir Dinshaw Petit, Sir Dorabji Tata, Dinshaw Wacha, Sir Vithaldas Thackersey, Chimanlal Setalvad, Dr Sir Bhalchandra Krishna and MA Jinnah.
1910: Major donation for the medical college adjacent to KEM Hospital
1910
The Mulji family made the largest donation—₹14,50,000—to build a medical college adjacent to the hospital in Mulji’s name, with a caveat that the professors and teachers should be properly qualified independent Indian gentlemen, not in government service.
1902: Gordhandas Sunderdas Mulji dies and a trust is formed to pursue an Indian-staffed hospital
1902
In 1902, Gordhandas Sunderdas Mulji died. Following disputes over his will, the Bombay High Court appointed Chimanlal Setalvad as arbitrator. Setalvad then set up a trust comprising himself, Sir Pherozshah, and the vice-chancellor of Bombay University Sir Narayan Chandavarkar, with the aim of establishing a hospital in Bombay staffed by Indians to break the British Medical Service monopoly (IMS).