The degree awarded was MBBS. The first batch of MBBS students passed out in 1949 and MBBS degree was recognized by Medical Council of India.

The first principal of Medical College after partition was Dr. A.N. Goyle (1947-51), followed by Dr. R.B.N. Swift (1951-53), Dr. K.L. Wig (1953-58) and Dr. Santokh Singh (1958-62).

The present Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, originally known as V.J. Hospital started functioning in 1891 (now completed more than 100 years) and was named as Victoria Jubilee Hospital, celebrating the Jubilee year of Queen Victoria's reign. The foundation
stone of the hospital was laid by lady Lyall w/o Sir James B. Lyall who was Lt. Governor of Punjab in November 1891. This hospital was attached to medical school for giving clinical training to the students. The present civil Hospital which was earlier popularly known as Sant Ram Hospital (after the name of famous Obst. & Gynaecologist Dr. Sant Ram Dhall) was at one time the Dissection Hall in 1930’s.

At the time of partition, the Medical College, Amritsar was only 3 years old child, and Dr. A.N. Goyle (1947-51) was the first Principal of this college after independence. Transfer of college teachers and the university was the outcome of partition. The job of giving medical aids to the refugees and the health administration set up was assigned to Lt. Col. B.S. Nat who was the medical Superintendent of V.J. Hospital and later on was promoted to Director Health Services and Education. We owe much of the expansion of V.J. Hospital to him. The college continues to celebrate this by holding an All India Inter- Medical College Hockey Tournament for the last 40 years in his memory.

Post graduate degrees and diplomas were started after partition and much expansion of the college and hospital took place thereafter, adding Ram Saran Dass Parkash Wati Kakkar Children Ward and Family Ward (Nov. 1950) T.B. Sanatarium, Ram Lal eye Hospital and E.N.T. Hospital. The mental Hospital was also attached to Medical College, under Dr. Vidya Sagar to give Psychiatric training to the students. The college had sufficient equipment and bed strength that met the requirements of Medical Council of India for recognition of MBBS and post graduation degrees in various specialities.

Much of the land on the North side attached to the Medical College was purchased by S. Partap Singh Kairon, the then chief Minister of Punjab, under the guidance of Principal Dr. Santokh Singh Anand in 1960. Dr. Santokh Singh Anand later joined as Director, PGI, Chandigarh in 1962.

The construction of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital was started on this land by the Punjab Govt. In 1969 (Nov.), when the foundation stone was laid by Dr. D.C. Pavate, the Governor of Punjab, in the memory of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, on his 500th Birthday. Subsequently Biochemistry and Physiology Blocks were added and the college library and auditorium was built in 1982-85.

Thus the college and the hospital complex is spread over an area of 8kms., Which is one of the biggest establishments of India.

Immediately after independence, the institution remained a source of excellent patientcare to a vast area of the country like Punjab, Himachal, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pardesh and also Afghanistan. The institution also provided brilliant doctors and medical scientists, not only to prestigious institutions of India, like All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and P.G.I. Chandigarh but also to many institutions of various countries of the world, particularly U.K., U.S.A. and Canada etc.