Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) : Long before medical services became widely accessible in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dr Shahejehan Banu broke new ground as one of the early women doctors from the Islands, serving patients not only in Port Blair but also in the far-flung islands of Car Nicobar and Nancowry.
Born on August 25, 1929, in Port Blair, Dr Banu was the daughter of Yusuf Hussain, a businessman, and Haliman Bibi, a school teacher. Her early life and education were shaped by the Islands and the upheavals of the Second World War.
She began her schooling at Government High School, South Point. With the outbreak of World War II, her family left the Islands in 1941, and she continued her education in Delhi. Returning to Port Blair in 1946, she completed her schooling before moving to Calcutta, where she pursued Intermediate Science at the prestigious Lady Brabourne College.
Her academic journey then took her into medicine. She joined Campbell Medical College, Calcutta—now NRS Medical College and Hospital—and completed her MBBS in 1954.
Returning to the Islands, Dr Banu joined the government medical service and served as a doctor at Port Blair, Car Nicobar and Nancowry, taking medical care to communities separated by vast distances and limited connectivity.
Her contribution to the Islands’ early medical history was later recognised by the Boys School Alumni Association, which felicitated her during the institution’s centenary celebrations.
Now residing in Kolkata, Dr Shahejehan Banu’s journey remains a significant chapter in the history of healthcare in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands—linking education, public service and a pioneering generation of medical professionals who served the Islands in an era of far fewer resources.(Courtesy: Dr Rashida Iqbal)
