About
Our Journey
Estd. 11 October 2018
On 11 October 2018, the Educational Society of Bedside Intensive Care Medicine (ESBICM) was established to provide freely accessible and affordable bedside intensive care education to all healthcare professionals caring for critically ill patients.
Milestones
2012
A Commitment to Bedside Teaching
After completing his critical care fellowship, Dr Ankur Gupta began sharing his clinical knowledge at the bedside. The effort reached beyond doctors to nurses, paramedics and healthcare workers across ICUs and emergency departments.
2012-2018
Connecting ICUs via WhatsApp
What began as a small group of ICU professionals using WhatsApp for clinical coordination gradually expanded. The informal network grew to connect more than 15 ICU teams across the country, laying the groundwork for a wider educational community.
11 October 2018
ESBICM Founded
Led by Dr Ankur Gupta, a small group of colleagues registered the Educational Society of Bedside Intensive Care Medicine. Their aim was simple: free bedside intensive care education and free lifetime membership for healthcare professionals, including those working in the smallest and most remote ICUs.
2018-2020
Workshops & In-Person Training
In its early days, ESBICM's teaching was modest and entirely in person, held in cafés, charity halls and informal community spaces. This continued until the COVID-19 pandemic made a move online necessary.
9 July 2020
The first lectures on YouTube
With WhatsApp unable to carry large files during the pandemic, lectures recorded in the ICU were uploaded to YouTube. The channel began as "Bedside Intensive Care" and was later renamed "RegularCrisis". In the same year, membership was opened to everyone involved in bedside intensive care.
27 May 2022
The ICU Channel
The society formally adopted the channel and renamed it 'The ICU Channel by ESBICM'. It became ESBICM's official YouTube platform, where its lectures remain free to watch.
2 March 2023
Live classes begin
Online classes for members began, with livestream sessions alongside. They have run through the year since, free for every member.
11 October 2023
Formation of the Academic Committee
On the society's fifth anniversary, the Academic Committee of ESBICM (ACE) was formed to keep its teaching consistent and carefully reviewed. The committee guides curricula, reviews clinical content and oversees the society's programmes.
6 November 2023
Academic Volunteers
As the community grew, members stepped forward to contribute their time and expertise. Worldwide registration opened for ESBICM Academic Volunteers, bringing these colleagues together to support curriculum development and share teaching more widely.
24 February 2024
The YouTube Silver Button
The ICU Channel reached 100,000 subscribers and received YouTube's Silver Creator Award, a meaningful moment for a society teaching a subject as specialised as intensive care. The same year its Instagram channel passed 200,000 followers. We owe it to the learners, who have since watched its lectures more than 60 million times in more than 150 countries.
28 February 2024
Associations with like-minded societies
Societies sharing the same vision became associated with ESBICM — the Critical Care Education Foundation (India) and the Society of Mechanical Ventilation (USA).
11 October 2024
Member Panel launched, with a companion app
On the society's sixth anniversary, ESBICM launched its dedicated Member Panel, with a companion Android app alongside it — the beginning of the platform The ICU App would grow into.
9 August 2025
The ESBICM Faculty Network
A formal network of volunteer educators was established. It brought together intensivists, educators and ICU professionals to create, review and deliver teaching for the society's growing community.
18 August 2025
Our First e-Book
Expanding beyond video lectures, ESBICM published its first e-book, 'Recent and Landmark Trials in Critical Care' (1st edition). It is a freely accessible written resource for bedside reference and study.
24 August 2025
The society's governance takes shape
Building on the Academic Committee, ESBICM established the Research Committee (RC) and the Scientific Programmes & Events Committee (SPEC), and adopted the frameworks for the Nursing Intensive Care Committee (NICCE) and the Medico-legal Committee (MLC). Together with the Founding Council and the Executive Committee, they provide dedicated, accountable oversight for every society initiative.
5 September 2025
The MechVent Course launched
On Teachers' Day, the pilot batch of The MechVent Course began: a six-month Speciality Certificate Course on Mechanical Ventilation in Intensive Care, taught so that it can be applied directly at the bedside.
24 September 2025
National Representative of India at ESICM
Founder President Dr Ankur Gupta was elected as National Representative of India at the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine for 2025–2027. The role further integrates our growing society into the global critical care community.
16 February 2026
The Global Critical Care Faculty Network
As colleagues from other countries joined, the ESBICM Faculty Network became the Global Critical Care Faculty Network. It brings together educators who share the society's bedside approach to teaching.
24 April 2026
Formation of the Mentorship Forum
To support the next generation of healthcare professionals, ESBICM created the Mentorship Forum. It connects trainees and young professionals with experienced intensivists for guidance, career development and clinical insight.
27 May 2026
Member Panel 2.0
We rebuilt the ESBICM Member Panel to make it simpler to navigate. Members around the world now have easier access to their membership records, courses and certificates.
9 July 2026
Freely Accessible and Affordable
As the society grew, we refined our founding promise. "Free" had meant free of cost; "freely accessible" means open to all, beyond the boundaries of geography, profession and resources. Lifetime membership remains free, and keeping specialised programmes affordable allows the society to sustain itself without compromising the authenticity of what we teach.
5 September 2026
The ICU App Goes Live
On Teachers' Day, we launched The ICU App by ESBICM on the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store and at icu.in. Everything the society offers is now in one place, including courses, live classes, the e-library, the community and certificates: "bedside intensive care education, now in your pocket".
25 September 2026
The new esbicm.org
The society's website was rebuilt from the ground up. With The ICU App and the Member Panel beside it, everything ESBICM does — classes, courses, mentorship, the Faculty Network, governance and notices — now sits in one place, built to grow with the society.
- ESBICM Founded
- 2018
- Countries in the community
- 66+
- Countries on YouTube
- 150+
- The ICU Channel views
- 60 million+