About National Doctors’ Day
National Doctors' Day in India is observed on 1 July to thank doctors and to remember Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, the physician and West Bengal Chief Minister who was born on 1 July 1882 and died on the same date in 1962. It has been marked since 1991. In 2027 it falls on Thursday, 1 July 2027.
Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on 1 July 1882 and died on 1 July 1962, on his eightieth birthday. In between he treated patients in Calcutta, served as Mahatma Gandhi's physician, ran the city as its Mayor and then ran West Bengal as Chief Minister for fourteen years. National Doctors' Day uses his double anniversary to thank every doctor, not only him.
What is the history of National Doctors' Day?
National Doctors' Day has been observed in India since 1991 on 1 July, because it is both the birth and death anniversary of Dr B. C. Roy, one of India's most admired physicians. Roy had combined medicine and public life to an unusual degree, and the date was chosen to honour that example.
Other countries pick other dates, so a doctor friend abroad may celebrate at a different time of year.
| Country | Doctors' Day | Why that date |
|---|---|---|
| India | 1 July | Birth and death anniversary of Dr B. C. Roy |
| United States | 30 March | First observed in Winder, Georgia, in 1933; made national in 1990 |
| Nepal | 4 March | Organised each year by the Nepal Medical Association |
| Iran | 23 August | Birthday of the physician and philosopher Avicenna (Ibn Sina) |
| Cuba | 3 December | Birthday of the physician Carlos Finlay |
| Brazil | 18 October | Feast of Saint Luke, the physician-evangelist |
What did Dr B. C. Roy do for medicine and Bengal?
Dr B. C. Roy built hospitals, taught medicine and planned new towns. He was a Bengali physician, educator and politician who led West Bengal from January 1948 until his death in July 1962, first as Premier and, from 1950, as Chief Minister. He was born in Bankipore, Patna, trained at the Medical College in Calcutta, and went on to St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, whose dean turned him down repeatedly before admitting him on about the thirtieth application.
- 1882Born in Patna
Born on 1 July in Bankipore, Patna, then in the Bengal Presidency.
- 1909Sails for London
Leaves for Britain with ₹1,200 to study at St Bartholomew's; on his return he teaches at medical colleges in Calcutta.
- 1926Chittaranjan Seva Sadan
Opens the hospital for women and children in Calcutta.
- 1931–1933Mayor of Calcutta
The Corporation expands free medical aid, free education and water supply.
- 1942Vice-Chancellor
Heads the University of Calcutta during the wartime evacuation of the city.
- 1948Chief of West Bengal
Takes office on 23 January 1948, on Gandhi's advice, amid refugees from East Pakistan and food shortages.
- 1961Bharat Ratna
Awarded India's highest civilian honour on 4 February.
- 1962Dies in Calcutta
Dies on 1 July, his 80th birthday.
As a doctor, he helped set up or build the Jadavpur TB Hospital, the Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital, the Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital and what is now R. G. Kar Medical College. He was the first president of the Cardiological Society of India. During Kolkata's cholera outbreak in 1945 he organised relief camps, clean water and emergency medical teams. As Chief Minister he planned new towns: Salt Lake (now Bidhannagar, named after him), Kalyani, Durgapur and Ashoknagar Kalyangarh.
He believed swaraj would mean little if people were not healthy in body and mind. The Dr B. C. Roy National Award, instituted in his memory in 1962 and given annually since 1976, recognises outstanding work in medicine and related fields.
How is National Doctors' Day marked in India?
National Doctors' Day in India is marked mainly by hospitals, medical colleges and doctors' associations. Hospitals felicitate their doctors, medical colleges hold talks on Dr Roy, and doctors' associations hold events of their own. Patients send cards and messages to doctors who treated them, and government leaders, especially in West Bengal, pay tribute to Roy.
The day also carries a harder conversation. Doctors' groups use it to raise workload, long resident shifts, burnout and violence against doctors in hospitals. In India's official figures, the country has about 13.86 lakh registered allopathic doctors and 7.52 lakh registered AYUSH practitioners. The government puts the doctor-population ratio at 1:811, better than the WHO benchmark of 1:1,000, but that figure assumes 80 per cent of both groups are available and counts AYUSH practitioners alongside MBBS doctors.
What should you write to a doctor on Doctors' Day?
A Doctors' Day message works when it names the moment: the delivery, the surgery, the phone call at 2 am, the time they sat down and explained a scan. A short handwritten note, or a message your child writes, stays on a clinic noticeboard for years.
Happy Doctors' Day. Thank you for twenty years of house calls, prescriptions and patient answers to Papa's endless questions.
Happy National Doctors' Day. Six months after the operation I'm walking to the market again. Thank you for the skill and for the calm.
Happy Doctors' Day from Aarav and his parents. Thank you for every fever you talked us through at midnight.
Happy Doctors' Day. I know the 36-hour shifts don't stop for it. Eat something, sleep when you can, and know we're proud of you.
Happy Doctors' Day, Ma. You missed birthdays for other people's emergencies and never once complained. We noticed.
Happy National Doctors' Day to the whole OPD team. Thank you for the long days and the kindness you keep in them.
Happy Doctors' Day from home. India celebrates on 1 July, so you get two this year.
Do
- Include nurses, technicians and ward staff in hospital messages; doctors work in teams.
- Keep gifts small: a card, a letter, sweets for the ward.
- Remember doctors in government hospitals and rural health centres, not only specialists.
Avoid
- Avoid "doctors are God" lines; they create expectations that turn into anger when outcomes are bad.
- Don't use a Doctors' Day message to ask for free medical advice.
- Don't send expensive gifts to a treating doctor; it can make them uncomfortable.
Nurses have their own day, International Nurses Day on 12 May, and World Health Day falls on 7 April.
How to wish someone on National Doctors’ Day
The best Doctors' Day message thanks a particular doctor for a particular thing: the surgery that went well, the night call answered, the diagnosis explained patiently. Name it. Skip lines that call doctors gods, which set a standard no one can meet, and remember the resident doctors, rural medical officers and doctors in your own family who rarely get thanked.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is National Doctors’ Day in 2026 and 2027?
National Doctors’ Day is on 1 Jul every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
Why is Doctors' Day celebrated on 1 July in India?
Doctors' Day is celebrated on 1 July in India because it is the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who was born on 1 July 1882 and died on 1 July 1962. He was an eminent physician and Chief Minister of West Bengal.
When was National Doctors' Day first celebrated in India?
National Doctors' Day was first observed in India in 1991, when the government chose Dr B. C. Roy's birth and death anniversary to honour doctors across the country.
Who was Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy?
Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy was a physician, Gandhi's doctor, Mayor of Calcutta and Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 until his death in 1962. He helped found several hospitals and planned new towns including Salt Lake, Kalyani and Durgapur, and received the Bharat Ratna in 1961.
Is Doctors' Day on the same date around the world?
No. India marks Doctors' Day on 1 July, the United States on 30 March, Nepal on 4 March, Cuba on 3 December and Iran on 23 August, each tied to a local figure or event.
What is the Dr B. C. Roy National Award?
The Dr B. C. Roy National Award was instituted in 1962 in memory of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy and has been given every year since 1976. It recognises outstanding contributions in medicine and related fields.
What is a good message for Doctors' Day?
A good Doctors' Day message thanks the doctor for something specific, such as a surgery, a diagnosis or a late-night call, and mentions how the patient is doing now. A short handwritten note is often valued more than a gift.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .