History of KMCAANA

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History of Khyber Medical College

Khyber Medical College was established in 1955 to fulfill the medical needs of the North West Frontier Province. Before its establishment, students from the province were obliged to seek admission to medical colleges in the Punjab and Sind against limited reserved seats.

The effort to establish the college was spearheaded by Col. Munawar Khan Afridi, the world-renowned malaria expert who, after serving in various capacities in the United Nations and the central government of Pakistan, was at the time serving as director of health in N.W.F.P. The inaugural class of 44 male and 6 female students were admitted in early October 1955. The classes were started in a building still under construction on the southern fringe of the campus of the University of Peshawar. The college was created in a hurry for some compelling reasons, notably the Director General of Health, Col. S. M. K. Malik. Dr. Malik had publicly stated his opposition to starting a new medical college.

The establishment of a medical college in Peshawar was opposed by some very influential people in the central government in Peshawar. It had indicated that after the establishment of One Unit on October 14, 1955, the college would either be closed or degraded to a diploma (L.S.M.F.) school. On that day, all four provinces of West Pakistan were merged into one section to be called One Unit or West Pakistan.

To circumvent this imminent threat to the developing institution, the provincial legislature of N.W.F.P. transferred the college to the University of Peshawar. It was the last act of the parliament before it dissolved itself. This was unprecedented, for there had never been a university-run medical college in Pakistan. In the coming years, Dr. Afridi would nurture the college in his new position as vice chancellor of the University of Peshawar. The college remained with the university for the duration of One Unit for nine years. At the dissolution of One Unit in 1964, the first act of the newly constituted N.W.F.P. legislature was to transfer the college back to the provincial government.

It remained under the administrative control of the health department after parting ways with Peshawar University in 1975. Presently, the college and hospital have been given administrative and financial autonomy by the Government of N.W.F.P. and are working under the institutional management committee headed by Chief Executive.

Khyber Medical College is a pioneer institution in N.W.F.P. in medical education. It has created a name for itself at the national and international levels through the dedicated work of its staff and students. It can be proudly called the mother institution for the rest of the medical and dental colleges and other allied medical institutions established in N.W.F.P. over the past twenty-five years.