Sir Salimullah Medical College, governmental medical colleges and hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sir Salimullah Medical College is a medical school in the old part of Dhaka, made up of several red and white buildings on a compact campus. It shares its grounds with Mitford Hospital, which includes a multi-story surgery unit and numerous wards, making the site one of the largest combined teaching and treatment complexes in the city.
The institution opened in 1875 as the Dhaka Medical School, making it the oldest medical school in Bangladesh. It was upgraded to a full college in 1962 and renamed a year later to honor Khwaja Salimullah, who had supported its early development.
Locals commonly refer to the college as "Mitford," after the hospital that shares its campus and name. This dual identity means that for many Dhaka residents, the place is known more as a hospital than as a teaching institution.
The campus is active throughout the day, with teaching sessions in the morning and clinical activity continuing into the afternoon. Since medical care takes priority, visitors should stay away from ward areas and be mindful of staff and patients moving through the grounds.
The hospital attached to the college was built using money left by Robert Mitford, a British official who died in the early 1800s and directed his estate toward its construction. His name outlasted the official renaming of the college by decades and is still the term most people in Dhaka use when referring to the place.
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