SV Medical College

For centuries, the shrine of Lord Venkateswara (Balaji) at Tirumala in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh has been an important place of pilgrimage and people from all over the world come to seek the Lord's blessings. In the late 1950s, this town had meagre access to modern medical facilities. Sri Radhakrishna Ramnarain Ruia of Mumbai, a devotee of Lord Balaji, thought of starting a 100-bedded hospital at Tirupati, located at the foot of the Tirumala hills, to cater to the medical needs of the pilgrims and the general public. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust that runs the holy shrine at Tirumala, supplemented his donation with a contribution and persuaded the Government of Andhra Pradesh to establish and run a hospital. The government sanctioned the establishment of a medical college at Tirupati on 9 April 1960. The TTD leased 200 acres of land and Sri Venkateswara Medical College (popularly called SVMC) was inaugurated on 25 July 1960. The inscription in the logo of the college says do favente (with the favor of God), and the hope was that with the blessings of Lord Venkateswara (Balaji) and the cooperation of the government, this institution would offer the best healthcare in all fields of medicine to people from all over India.