Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital, Allahabad has been an edifice of selfless service to humanity. The Institution can be justly proud of the years of providing succour to the poor, downtrodden and under privileged suffering humanity. The Hospital has served not only the people of Allahabad but practically most parts of Northern India and adjoining countries like Nepal and Bhutan.

Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital traces its roots to the Freedom Struggle, when in the year 1931, Smt. Kamala Nehru converted some rooms in her ancestral house, Swaraj Bhawan into a Congress Dispensary.

This mini Hospital had both indoor and out door facilities manned by patriotic doctors and other paramedical staff. Presiding over it all was Kamala herself, a woman frail in health but indomitable in spirits.

She gave to this institution her time, labour and above all compassion till her untimely death in 1936.

After her sad demise, Mahatma Gandhi and other national leaders like Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Dr. B.C. Roy, Shri Uma Shankar Dikshit and others took it upon themselves to “see that the work for which she made herself responsible was carried on even after her death” (Mahatma Gandhi).

Gandhiji laid the foundation stone of this Hospital on Nov. 19, 1939 and later inaugurated it on Feb.28, 1941 - the death anniversary of Kamalaji.

K.N.M. Hospital in fact was built as a national tribute to the memory of Kamalaji who was a living monument of selfless service, sacrifice and compassion for fellow human beings.

To start with, it was a fledgling unit with just 40 beds of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, out of which 28 were free. The first Medical Superintendent of the Hospital was Dr.(Mrs) Satyapriya Mazumdar.

The first trustees of the Hospital were :

Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru on his birthday – 14th Nov, 1943 announced that a Cancer Wing would be established in the Hospital similar to Tata Memorial Centre, Bombay and this had an enthusiastic response from all sections of society. The Cancer wing of the Hospital was inaugurated by Shri. R. Rajagopalachari, the then Governor General of India in 1949. Since then it has been serving the people of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and other adjoining states of Northern India and some neighboring countries such as Nepal and Bhutan.

The year 1949 marked the beginning of cancer treatment at the Hospital with the installation of Maximar Deep X-ray therapy unit for cancer therapy. The Cancer wing of the Hospital was further expanded and formally inaugurated by the then Vice President of India Dr. S. Radhakrishnan on April 8, 1959 with three Deep X-ray units, one Cobalt Unit and 200 mg Radium for Brachytherapy. This made KNMH the third centre in the country for comprehensive cancer treatment in the early fifties, the other two being Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and Chittaranjan National Cancer Hospital, Kolkata.

A modernization program of the Cancer Wing was initiated in 1986. It has now evolved into an upgraded cancer treatment Centre with modern facilities and infrastructure. It has proved a boon for the people of the region who earlier had to go to far off places like Mumbai and New Delhi for cancer treatment.

Some of the salient features of the development are - installation of stationery head Janus Cobalt Unit in 1984, re-establishment of cancer wards in 1984 and commissioning of rotational head Isocentric Teletherapy Unit, Theratron 780 C, Selectron LDR (remote control after loading) unit with Caesium –137 source and RT 3000 Ultrasonography Unit. In 1987, the imaging section was further strengthened by addition of a Whole Body CT Scan – CTW 700, under the Indo Japanese Aid Programme for Cancer control in India.

The Hospital initiated a Rural Health program in 1986. Sri. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India and President of Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital Society, laid the foundation stone of Kamala Nehru Memorial Rural Hospital in 1987 at Village Newada Samogarh, Naini, Allahabad. The Rural Hospital was inaugurated in 1988. The Hospital serves as a base centre for preventive oncology and cancer detection at the grass root level in the surrounding villages. A Community Oncology wing was established in the Rural Hospital in 2003.

The Hospital completed fifty years of distinguished service to humanity in 1991. The commemoration of the Golden Jubilee Year (1991) of the Hospital began on 28th February 1990 with the hosting of the 17th National Conference of Indian Association for Radiation Protection and Annual Conference of Radiation Oncologists of India (U.P Chapter).

In 1992 the Hospital was recognized as Regional Institute of Mother & Child Health by Government of India. The National AIDS Control Organization recognized the Hospital as an AIDS Surveillance Centre in 1993, and made it a state level Voluntary Counseling & Testing Centre in 1998.

In 1993, the Department of Atomic Energy co-opted this Hospital as a Centre for Research in Radiation Oncology, Medical Physics and Nuclear Medicine.

On the strength of the services rendered by the Hospital, Government of India recognized KNMH as a Regional Cancer Centre in 1994 covering Uttar Pradesh and the neighboring region.

The Hospital also has a Post Graduate Teaching facility. Since 1964, the Hospital is affiliated to M.L.N. Medical College, Allahabad to provide teaching & clinical facilities in Obstetrics & Gynaecology to undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is recognized by the National Board of Examinations for Diplomat of National Board (DNB) in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Radiotherapy, Pathology and Radio diagnosis. The Hospital also offers PG Diploma in Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Paediatrics & Child Health from Indian College of Maternal & Child Health.

The Hospital has earned public recognition for its services in this part of the country and has been at the forefront for bringing cutting edge technology in Medical Care for public cause as a charitable non-profit making voluntary organization.