Hospital

 The Institute has a 600-bed hospital and the following departments: Cardiology, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Endocrinology, Endocrine Surgery, Gastroenterology, Surgical Gastroenterology, Medical Genetics, Clinical Immunology, Nephrology, Urology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Anesthesiology, Microbiology, Nuclear Medicine, Pathology, Radiology, Radiotherapy and Transfusion Medicine.
 

The Department of Cardiology has facilities for electrophysiological and functional studies of the heart and a catheterisation laboratory with an impressive record of coronary angiography, angioplasty, and balloon valvuloplasty. The department also undertakes placement of stents in coronary vessels and in congenital defects. The Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery has a thriving programme of open and closed heart operations for congenital and acquired heart diseases, including coronary artery bypass.

The Department of Endocrinology performs assays of a wide range of hormones and runs an active programme for care of juvenile diabetics. It has been interested particularly in the problems of endemic iodine deficiency goitre, endemic fluorosis and parathyroid disorders. The Department of Endocrine Surgery is the very first full fledged department of its kind in the country and has interests in treatment of parathyroid tumours, phaeochromocytomas and breast cancer. It is also equipped with intraoperative ultrasonography.

The Department of Gastroenterology has modern endoscopic equipments including videoendoscopes and endoscopic ultrasound and provides therapeutic procedures in pancreatobiliary tract, endoscopic sclerotherapy and band ligation for esophageal varices, endoscopic polypectomy, and dilatation of esophageal strictures. The department has the following laboratories: a) biliary stone analysis laboratory, b) liver laboratory, c) physiology laboratory performing esophageal motility studies, 24-hour ambulatory esophageal pH measurement and small bowel absorption, and d) parasitolgy laboratory. Along with the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, the department provides a comprehensive therapeutic facility for patients with biliary stones. The Department of Surgical Gastroenterology performs difficult surgical procedures in biliary tract and pancreas, hepatic and oesophageal resections and sphincter saving procedures for ulcerative colitis. It is particularly interested in the problem of gall bladder cancer and shunt and non-shunt surgery for portal hypertension. The department has an active programme for minimal access surgery.

The Department of Medical Genetics is involved in diagnosis of genetic disorders particularly thalassaemias and other haemolytic anaemias. It provides comprehensive antenatal diagnostic facilities and has a genetic counselling programme. It has an active HLA laboratory, which is engaged in anthropological studies and in screening of donors for renal transplantation.

The Department of Clinical Immunology manages rheumatological and infectious diseases and has been involved in diagnosing immuno-deficiency and immuno-malignancy disorders.

The Department of Nephrology runs a large modern dialysis unit with facilities for haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (first in the country) and continuous arteriovenous haemofiltration. The Department of Urology has active endourology, lithotripsy, stone analysis, urodynamic and kidney transplantation programmes. The department provides a comprehensive package of treatment including lithotripsy, percutaneous and endoscopic extraction, and surgery for urolithiasis.

The Department of Neurology has excellent neurophysiological facilities to perform electroencephalography, electromyography, evoked potential studies and nerve conduction studies and a laboratory which focuses on studies of neurotransmitters. The department has been concentrating on neurotoxicology, neuromuscular junction abnormalities and epilepsy. The Department of Neurosurgery has identified  microneurosurgery, paediatric neurosurgery, stereotactic neurosurgery and skull base surgery as its thrust areas. It also has well established neuro-otology and neuro-ophthalmology units.

The Department of Anaesthesiology has the latest equipment for providing anaesthesia and ventilatory service in the operation theatres and the surgical intensive care unit. The anaesthetic mortality has been very low in spite of the complicated nature of cases that come to the hospital.

The Department of Microbiology is involved in hospital infection control programme and provides bacterial culture facility and serological tests for diagnosis of infectious diseases.

The Department of Nuclear Medicine, one of the largest in the country, has gamma cameras, SPECT scanner and bone densitometry measurement equipment. It also runs a radiation safety cell for the Institute.

The Department of Pathology provides haematology, clinical chemistry, histopathology and cytology including fine needle aspiration cytology services. Frozen section facilities and immunohistochemistry are available. It is also equipped with transmission and scanning electron microscopes. The department also entertains investigations of patients referred from other institutions.

The Department of Radiology, one of the best equipped in the country, has the state-of-the-art imaging techniques like ultrasonography, computerized radiography, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. It has an active unit engaged in interventional angiography including embolization and stenting of blood vessels. The department is one of the few centres in the world to have magnetic resonance spectroscopy facility.

The Department of Radiotherapy has modern equipment like a dual energy linear accelerator, simulator, high dose rate after loading unit and a computerized treatment planning system.

The Department of Transfusion Medicine has been responsible for establishing in this part of the country the first blood bank based on total voluntary blood donation. It has facilities for blood component therapy and plasmapheresis also.