Department of General Surgery, MGMCRI
General Surgery is one of the major departments in Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute. It has been around since the inception of the institute and over the period has grown into a large force boasting of academically renowned professors, competent faculty, well equipped operating theatre and an endoscopy suite. It now caters to a large population base in and around Pondicherry as well as patients from afar. It is also one of the premier referral centres in this area.
The endoscopy suite is replete with an upper and lower GI video endoscopes with recording/playback facility. Regularly diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are done on daily basis. A large number of patients benefit from this minimally invasive procedure. Diagnostic procedures include H.pylori testing, tissue biopsy, brush cytology. Deployment of stents in inoperable oesophageal cancers, as well as banding or injection sclerotherapy for upper GI bleeding, are done. Also, therapeutic oesophageal balloon dilatation for stricture is being done in our department.
The Surgical Intensive Care Unit is a specialized unit of the Department of Surgery that provides ample treatment to the needs of surgically sick patients requiring intensive care round the clock. The SICU is an fourteen bedded  unit, to effectively manage postoperative and sick patients.
Palliative Care Unit
Hospital Palliative Care Unit Team is headed by surgery team who along with other departments like Anesthesia, Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, General Medicine, and a senior staff nurse experienced in palliative nursing care.
Sex Reassignment Surgery
Department of General Surgery offers Gender affirmation surgeries for Male to Female Transgenders. This is very unique service offered in our hospital, which is being done in very few centers in India. A total number of 300 surgeries were performed with excellent results and low complication rate. We are able to attract clients from other states of India and nearby countries. Our institution had become a very prominent centre in South India.
There is a ring OT with dedicated 4 theatres with laminar flow and state of the art equipment where the Department faculty are able to operate from inguinal hernia under regional anesthesia to Major GI procedures. Laparoscopic work would range from diagnostic lap / lap appendix / chole / hernia to advanced procedures like Lap LAR etc. There are dedicated 2 emergency OTs to perform all the emergencies round the clock.
The anesthesia department support would start from pre-anesthetic check up to per-op monitoring with all gadgets that is available. They have dedicated acute pain services for post-op pain management and chronic pain services facilities also.
