June 23, 2012: A leading news magazine has rated Christian Medical College (CMC),
Vellore in South India as the second best medical college in India.The news magazine,
India Today, put the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on top of medical
schools in India in its annual survey of 2012. The Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate
Medical Education and Research, Puducherry was ranked third followed by Armed Forces
Medical College, Pune. CMC founded by American medical missionary Dr Ida Sophia
Scudder has “gained immensely from the synergy of a well-reputed hospital…. and run
with tremendous commitment," India Today wrote. A total of 2,000 students are enrolled
in 150 different postgraduate courses in the medical, nursing and allied health disciplines. The
magazine noted that the alumni of the century-old Christian institution had several
public health specialists, including civil rights activist Binayak Sen and Magsaysay
Award winner Rajnikant Arole. In this mercenary age, CMC still produces medical professionals
ready to offer unflinching public service to the nation, the magazine remarked. CMC,
which started in the year 1900, “seeks to be a witness to the healing ministry of
Christ, through excellence in education, service and research”. "We continue to strive
to ensure that our growth in size and numbers is matched by a growth in the depth
of our caring and commitment…,” CMC Vellore director, Suranjan Bhattacharji was quoted
saying.
Another Christian medical institution St John's Medical College, Bangalore,
run by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, was listed as the ninth best medical
college in the India Today Nielsen survey. In addition to medical colleges, the India
Today survey also listed the best colleges in the Arts, Commerce, Science, Law, Medicine,
Engineering, BBA and BCA categories. While Christ University, Bangalore topped
the BBA and BCA categories, St. Stephen's College, Delhi ranked first in Science and
second in Arts. The Arts category has St. Xavier's College, Mumbai ranked third, Loyola
College, Chennai fourth, St. Xavier's College, Kolkata fifth and Christ College, Bangalore
sixth.