Surgery

SERVICE

The Department of Surgery provides service to patients since the inception of Kasturba Hospital, in 1945. The health professionals in the Department of Surgery care for about 60,000 outpatients and 8000 - 9000 inpatients every year. An 8-bedded post-operative Surgical ICU and trauma ICU offer high-quality, cost-effective care to patients with a wide spectrum of surgical disorders. Besides looking after emergency surgical and trauma care services, the department also provides routine surgical care to the patients in the fields of general surgery, gastrointestinal, pediatric, minimally invasive (laparoscopic), plastic, cardiothoracic, urology, neurosurgery and all types of cancer surgeries. The 3 wards in the department house 130 inpatients. It also has a separate Burns ward and Operation theatres with all modern equipment.

The department also participates in community activities such as diagnostic and operative surgical camps in remote tribal areas and other villages and towns. 

EDUCATION

The Department provides training to undergraduates and postgraduates. The undergraduates take part in teaching activities by way of seminars, group discussions, demonstrations and participating in quiz competitions organized locally and at state/ national level. The Department has also prepared OSCE type questions for undergraduates. Three postgraduates were being admitted every year for MS Surgery since 1980. Recently MCI has permitted the department to increase the intake capacity of PGs from 3 to 4. This year four postgraduates have been admitted for MS Surgery.

With intensive postgraduate teaching sessions every year, it provides a learning platform to the residents where they acquire and hone their clinical skills, learn the art of critically appraising, interpreting and presenting cases and take part in surgical audits. The department has kept track with modern technology, but hasn’t forgotten the importance of bedside clinical skills. They also learn surgical skills step by step during training period. The department also runs a DNB Rural Surgery course since the last 4 years. The department has 102 surgical specimens, 300 odd teaching X-rays, two Endotrainers for training in laparoscopic surgeries, upper GI and colonoscope, adult and pediatric cystoscopes with endovision camera attachments for teaching purposes.

RESEARCH

The Department has five recognized postgraduate teachers. Their work has been published in various journals from time to time. Apart from postgraduate thesis, four research projects have been completed (two with the funding from ICMR, two with funding from external agencies). Currently two research projects are being carried out with funding from external agencies. Department also encourages undergraduate students to pursue research. They apply for short term Student fellowships which are ICMR sponsored. Two such projects are going on in the department.