Why India celebrates National Doctor's Day on July 1

Why India celebrates National Doctor's Day on July 1? Here's all you need to know:

Birth and death anniversary of the 'national doctor' Bidhan Chandra Roy

An iconic medical practitioner, freedom fighter, and politician

Born in Patna Bengal Presidency in 1882, went to England to study medicine

Denied admission at prestigious St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London as he was Asian

Bidhan Chandra Roy didn't give up, got admission after 30 attempts

Went on to become a Member of the Royal College of Physicians and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons

Joined India's Independence movement, was close to Mahatma Gandhi

Joined politics, became second chief minister of Bengal and served from 1948 to 1962

India honoured Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy with a Bharat Ratna in 1961.

Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy passed away on his 80th birthday on July 1, 1962.

The British Medical Journal, in its obituary of Roy, called him the “first medical consultant in the subcontinent of India"