Media Release
Bengaluru, Apr 30: The 57th annual convocation and College Day of St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru was held at 3 pm on Wednesday,April 30.
Dr Yogesh Jain, founder of Sangwari (Peoples Association for Equity and Health) and Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS) (People's Health Support Group), whose interventions have helped deliver cost-effective healthcare to several lacs of tribal people in various parts of central India, was the chief guest. Dinesh Gundu Rao, state minister of Health and Family Welfare, presided over the function. A total of 293 health professionals were awarded their degrees. This included 147 MBBS students, 112 postgraduates, 31 super specialty postgraduates and 3 PhD scholars.
Established in 1963, St John’s Medical College has produced nearly 3200 undergraduates and 1300 postgraduates till date. The institution was set up with a mission to train health care personnel to serve in rural and underserved areas of the country. From inception, nearly 70% of all its graduates and several postgraduates have provided medical services in rural and underserved areas of the country. The institution has been consistently ranked amongst the top medical colleges in the country by various surveys. It was placed 19th in the NIRF rankings of 780 medical colleges overall in India for 2024 and is also 5th among the private medical colleges of the country, this whilst still being the 6th least expensive private medical college in the country. The college is supported by a state-of-the-art 1600-bedded hospital and over 100 critical care beds, which is NABL & NABH accredited, with an average of 2500 daily outpatients and 150 daily inpatient admissions, and over 600 doctors serving in the institution. It is rated as one of the best in the city and in the state, with patients seeking medical help from as far as West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and international patients from neighboring countries Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh among others. Every year, international students mainly from Europe, USA, Middle East & Africa come to St John’s as observers for elective postings or to work in the Institute’s research labs. Last year, nearly 800 students did electives or trained in the college and hospital. The institute is one of the 12 NMC Nodal Centers across India to train faculty in basic and advanced medical education from various medical colleges across South India. There is also has a standalone Research Institute that is engaged in cutting edge scientific developments in collaboration with National and International renowned institutions.
Currently, the college takes in 150 undergraduate students, and 175 postgraduate, superspecialty and postdoctoral students every year across 46 specialties and super specialties, apart from students in nearly 20 fellowship courses every year. An average of nearly 95% of students in all years of MBBS have passed the university exams this year, with several securing first class, distinction, and university ranks. From the graduating batch of MBBS students, Rosina Benny got the 6th Rank in Physiology, Ann Rose Ephrem got the 10th Rank in Biochemistry, Neeraja Jayakumar got the 6th Rank in Microbiology and 8th Rank in Pediatrics, Christina Gomes got the 10th Rank in Forensic Medicine and Siddarth Senthil got the 9th Rank in Ophthalmology and overall 8th Rank in Phase 3 Part 1 MBBS. The postgraduate pass rate was 96%, with 13 students getting among the top 10 university ranks in Karnataka state. Ten of them got among the top 5 ranks and 3 of them secured the university Gold medal for obtaining the first rank - Dr Savinitha P in Community Medicine, Dr Namiya Jose in Family Medicine and Dr Jewel Johns in Psychiatry. The super speciality pass percentage was 100%, with 15 of the 30 students securing among the top 5 university ranks in Karnataka state. Six of them got the University 1st rank in Karnataka state - Dr. Prem Prakeerth P in Critical Care, Dr. Parikh Pankti Satyamkumar in Endocrinology, Dr. Ekta Pareek in Gastroenterology, Dr Bandlamudi Lakshmi Parvathi in Neonatology, Dr Elizabeth Donna Thomas C in Pulmonary Medicine and Dr. Lavanya A B in Gynaecologic Oncology. This makes a total of 35 University ranks bagged by the graduates, and specialty and super speciality postgraduates.
Fr Jesudoss Rajamanickam, director of St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences welcomed the dignitaries and the gathering. He congratulated the graduates and postgraduates on this significant achievement in their life, and to continue to strive to reach further heights. He reminded them that medicine is not only a science but also a mission. He stressed that they always keep in mind the promise that they took when they joined the institution to serve the underprivileged and the poorest of poor in rural and underprivileged areas, through the rural obligation that they are undertaking. He stressed that they embrace this responsibility with courage and compassion, and to give back with humility, excellence and integrity what they have learnt at their alma mater to those in need. This, he said, would help them to listen, stay and serve in areas where no one else does. He also urged that parents support their children in this noble mission and take pride that their children are contributing what several others cannot to society.
Dr George D’Souza, the dean of St John’s Medical College, praised the outstanding achievements of the students, faculty, and staff at the college. He also highlighted the innovative teaching and research initiatives that have been developed within the institution. The contributions of alumni were recognized, particularly their ongoing support in establishing new scholarships, enhancing infrastructure, and building partnerships with prominent organizations both nationally and internationally. He motivated medical students and postgraduate residents to actively participate in research and take full advantage of the various facilities and workshops offered at the college. He emphasized the importance of leveraging their education from St. John's to advance the college's vision and mission while aiding the healing ministry. He urged graduates and postgraduates to uphold the ethical principles taught by their educators and learned from their patients throughout their training.
The graduates, postgraduates and super-specialty graduates and faculty were presented their certificates and various awards won for various curricular and extracurricular activities.
The chief guest, Dr Yogesh Jain, in his address to the graduates and post graduates, congratulated them on their achievement, saying that this is a moment that they would savour for a lifetime. He described the qualities of 3 types of doctors – the Type 1 doctor who sees the patient and does the minimum set of medications and investigations, with multiple skills in management, being a good public health person. "A Type 2 doctor goes beyond the patient and looks at the cause of disease – public health issues that are prevalent in the country. The Type 3 doctor would look at policy, one who can stand up for causes such drug price to ensuring rational privatization. He told the graduates that they can choose to be from a 0.5 to 3 type or a mix of types. It just depends on the choices that students make as a medical professional. Specialization is also another challenge that faces medicine, and the gate keeping by generalists is essential to prevent a microscopic approach to medical problems," he said. He encouraged the graduates to ensure being in likeminded company to find solutions to common problems that would otherwise need complex solutions. He urged the graduates not to fall prey to the rat race in the medical profession and look at upholding the ideals of their great alma mater. The graduates should not hold their privilege of the education that they have received as an entitlement, but look at sharing this with the underprivileged across the country, he added. He reminded policy makers that technology such as telemedicine should not be seen as a replacement to healthcare provided, but the fact that personal care and building infrastructure would ensure hope being instilled in people.
Sri Dinesh Gundu Rao, in his presidential address to the graduates and postgraduates and the gathering congratulated those who were awarded their degrees. He mentioned that the medical profession is not limited to name and money, but for the respect that is gained in the practice of the same. He said that those graduating are an asset to the nation and mankind. He said that the achievements of a medical professional should be impactful on society, and that the graduates should strive towards gaining satisfaction in the impact that they leave on those around them by their good work. To patients in difficulty, their efforts in saving lives and healing are almost next to Gods healing powers, and they have the utmost trust in getting better. The graduates need to display concern to patients, and not become commercial and exploit the patient community. Given the current situation in the society, that is the biggest challenge to live up to the Hippocratic Oath and ethically practice medicine. The biggest achievement is keeping up the trust that patients and the community have in them. He also encouraged the graduates to keep abreast with the newer developments, and practice their profession with the utmost dedication. With advancement in technology and improvements in healthcare, the aging population of the country would need a huge and efficient medical workforce. He agreed with the outlook of Dr. Yogesh Jain that the Public Sector needs to work towards being a pivotal force in providing services to the country and that many of the graduates would play a huge role in this regard. He encouraged the graduates to make space for the people who need care the most… any amount of space would go a long way in helping the millions of underprivileged who are unable to access and afford good health care. He ended with a congratulatory note on the efforts of St John’s in promoting rural service among the graduates and also contributing towards policy and healthcare for the poor. He wished the graduates the very best of luck to give back to society what they have gained from a renowned institution like St John’s.
The program ended with a vote of thanks.