Dibrugarh, June 18: After years of delays and missed deadlines, the historic Dr John Berry White Medical Museum in Dibrugarh is finally set to open its doors on July 1, coinciding with National Doctors’ Day.
The museum, which celebrates the origins of medical education in Northeast India, has remained shut for years despite a renovation and restoration project launched in 2018. The long-awaited opening marks a significant milestone for Assam’s medical fraternity and for Dibrugarh, the city where modern medical education in the region first took root.
The decision was taken at a review meeting chaired by Dibrugarh Deputy Commissioner Bikram Kairi on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan, Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation Mayor Dr Saikat Patra, Assam Medical College and Hospital Superintendent Dr Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan, representatives of the Indian Medical Association and other stakeholders.
Calling it a prestigious project that had suffered years of neglect, MLA Prasanta Phukan said the museum would now be handed over to the Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation for maintenance and management. A dedicated committee comprising representatives from the IMA, AMCH, district health authorities and civic bodies will oversee its functioning.
Authorities have also planned landscaping, installation of solar lighting and other beautification measures around the museum complex.
The project was conceived as a tribute to Dr John Berry White, the British surgeon whose vision laid the foundation of medical education in Northeast India. Funded by Oil India Limited under its CSR programme at a cost of ₹2.1 crore, the project was originally scheduled for completion in April 2019 after an MoU was signed between OIL and INTACH in January 2018.
Located along AT Road in Dibrugarh, the original Dr John Berry White Medical School was established in 1900, four years after the death of its founder. Dr White, who served in Assam for nearly 24 years, donated his life savings to establish the institution. His initiative later paved the way for the creation of Assam Medical College in 1947, the first medical college in Northeast India.
Residents and members of the medical community have welcomed the development, describing the museum as a long-overdue tribute to a man whose contribution transformed healthcare and medical education across the region.
For a city that gave Northeast India its first medical school, the museum’s opening is more than the inauguration of a building. It is the restoration of a chapter of history that helped shape the region’s medical legacy.
