West Bengal University of Health Sciences

West Bengal University of Health Sciences (abbr. WBUHS) (Bengali pronunciation: [poʃtʃimbɔŋɡo ʃastʰobidɡjan biʃʃobiddaːlɔe̯]) is a Public medical university in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 2003 by an Act of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for better management of the health and medical education-related courses. The main objective behind the establishment of the university was to raise the level of medical education across the state of West Bengal. Universities main mission was to affiliate, teach, and ensure systematic instruction, training, and research in various health sciences, including Modern Medicine, Homoeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dental, and Paramedical courses. It oversees undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-doctoral programs across these disciplines in West Bengal. History Before the establishment of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS), undergraduate and postgraduate level medical teaching in different state medical colleges of West Bengal was supervised by various state universities. This caused a huge disparity between different state medical colleges of West Bengal in terms of teaching and learning process, nature and standards of the evaluation, and most significantly; the recognition of the graduates from the different universities. So all the stakeholders of medical education in the state felt the need for bringing parity in the medical education system. Under these compelling circumstances, the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS) was established under an Act of the West Bengal legislature. Finally, it became active on 1 January 2003; which is considered as the date of birth for this embodiment of higher education in the fields of medical sciences in the state. University introduced medical research grants for undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty members, aligning with standard ICMR frameworks. This academic initiative accompanied institutional reforms aimed at standardizing examination timelines and strengthening collaborations with peripheral medical colleges. The West Bengal government has invested ₹102.75 crore in a new multi-story building at the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS). Officially inaugurated in March 2026, the modern facility centralizes several key administrative offices to streamline institutional operations. Additionally, it features state-of-the-art seminar halls designed to enhance academic research, conferences, and collaborative healthcare education. Organisation and administration Governance The Governor of West Bengal is the Chancellor of the WBUHS serving ex-officio, presides over convocations, issues directions, calls for information, and can inspect or inquire into university affairs, with powers to suspend or modify resolutions and disqualify members. The Vice-Chancellor of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences is the chief executive officer of the university, exercises Executive Council powers for management, ensures compliance with the Act and regulations, convenes meetings, and represents the university legally. The governance structure of WBUHS is robust, balancing centralized control through state-level councils and decentralized management via local committees. This framework supports its mission to enhance health sciences education, with clear roles for policy-making, academic oversight, and financial management, ensuring accountability and efficiency. Institution introduced new Standard Operating Procedures for postgraduate medical examinations. The guidelines established strict answer script evaluation protocols and enforced timed, digital tabulation entry. Affiliations The West Bengal University of Health Science is an affiliating university and has jurisdiction over all the medical, AYUSH, paramedical & allied health sciences, dental, nursing & pharmacy colleges of the entire state of West Bengal.Though some private med schools running under private university affiliation still it has 124 affiliated institutions under its umbrella as of now. Ranking and reputation In September 2017, West Bengal University of Health Sciences was recognized by the UGC, under section 12-B of the UGC Act, 1956. WBUHS focusing research in biological sciences, chemistry, and health sciences, university appears in the Nature Index, which tracks high-quality scientific articles. WBUHS ranks 185 in India overall, with varying positions in subject areas like in biological sciences 53rd and in health sciences 48th. Affiliated Institutions and Network Affiliated Pharmacy Colleges Affiliated private medical colleges Affiliated private medical colleges (Non-Profit) Government Medical Colleges (Allopathy) See also Education in West Bengal Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute List of colleges and universities in West Bengal List of pharmacy colleges in India References External links Official website