IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, or in its full name Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, colloquially known as P.G. Hospital (Presidency General Hospital), also known as PGI Kolkata, is a Public hospital and Medical school and tertiary referral government hospital for the state of West Bengal, India and is a national research institute. Located near Race Course ground and the Victoria Memorial Hall of Kolkata, its location is in the heart of Kolkata surrounded by cultural and historical landmarks like the Nandan complex, Rabindra Sadan, Academy of Fine Arts the Saint Paul's Cathedral, the Red Road and the Indian Museum. It faces the Maidan of Kolkata - a hot-spot for political rallies in the city. The Bangur Institute of Neurosciences is adjacent and functionally attached to this institution. History The first hospital in Calcutta was built in the premises of the Old Fort at Gerstein Place in 1707. The Council of Fort William constructed this hospital. Initially built for the Europeans till 1770, this hospital was then known as the Presidency Hospital, after the Presidency of Calcutta and due to its proximity to the Presidency Jail of Calcutta. Later it came to be known as the Presidency General Hospital or P.G. Hospital for short - the name which is still commonly used. In independent India, the hospital was renamed as Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital in 1954 after great philanthropist of Calcutta, Sukhlal Karnani. P.G. Hospital was established in 1707. The East India Company (Calcutta Council) purchased the plot of land, which was a gardenhouse (in 1768) from Rev. John Zacharias Kiernander at a cost of Rs. 98900.00 along with an adjoining plot belonging to a Bengali gentleman. Rev. John Zacharias Kiernander came to Bengal from Southern India in 1758 to work as the first Protestant missionary in Calcutta. The well known Old Mission Church (Bath Tephillah -'the House of Prayer'), built by him was the earliest favourite place of Protestant worship in Mission Row at his own expense at a cost of Rs. 65,000 and established a mission school in the rear of the Church in 1767. The Presidency General Hospital was established near the St. John's Church (presently, in 1, Garstin Place and in its adjoining areas) which was in famous as a hellish side. According to Mrs. Bleshinden, "It was a veritable death-trap to those unfortunate who were driven to