Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

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Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
Motto	Service to the Community, Care of the Needy and Research for the Good of All
Established	1962
Type	Autonomous Institution, Deemed University (can give its own degree by an act of Parliament)
Director	Prof. Vinay Sakhuja
Location	Chandigarh, India
Website	www.pgimer.nic.in

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is one of the medical and research institutions of Asia. Located in Chandigarh, India, it is recognized for its education, medical research and training facilities as well as for its graduates. It was established as an institute by an Act of Parliament. PGIMER is an educational institute that imparts postgraduate medical training in several disciplines and a working hospital that provides medical care to a large number of patients.

History

PGIMER was conceived in 1960 as a center which would endeavor to develop patterns of teaching in postgraduate medical education in as many branches as possible and attempt to produce specialists in several disciplines of medicine. It was also envisaged that these specialists would spread out in the country and abroad, in medical colleges and medical institutions, and impart medical education of the highest standard to the students and set up nucleus of excellence in their own institutions. The PGIMER was given the responsibility to broaden the horizons of medical knowledge by intensive research in the field of health.

The PGIMER owes its inception to Sardar Pratap Singh Kairon, the then chief minister of Punjab and a distinguished medical educationist of the then combined state of Punjab, alongside the support of the first prime minister of India Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. The institute started in 1962 and Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru inaugurated the hospital, on 7 July 1963. The Institute was originally under the Government of undivided Punjab. After the reorganization of the state, the administrative control of the institute passed on to the Union Territory of Chandigarh in November 1966.

The institute became an autonomous body under the Act of the Parliament of India in 1967 functioning under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, with the following mandate.

1. Provide high quality patient care.
2. Attain self-sufficiency in postgraduate medical education and to meet the country’s need for highly qualified medical teachers in all medical and surgical fields.
3. Provide educational facilities for the training of personnel in all-important branches of health activity.
4. Undertake community based research (leading to publications in more than 600 international journals).

Since 2008 PGIMER has been an official supporting organisation of HIFA2015 (Healthcare Information For All by 2015), a global initiative to improve availability and use of reliable healthcare information in low- and middle-income countries.

Patient care and research

The Nehru Hospital, the most vital part of PGIMER, caters to the need of very sick and has about 50,000 annual admissions. The institute has diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, which are compliments to the parallel clinical specialties.

A 140-bed emergency department with divisions catering to medical, pediatric, surgical emergencies and trauma round the clock is a feature. The new emergency block has attached laboratory, X-ray and operation theatre facilities. The department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging has facilities for MRI, CT scan, ultrasound and caters to the emergency services besides routine service.

PGIMER is involved in the community health services. The department of Community Medicine & School of Public Health with departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology are conducting studies pertaining to community health needs.

Advanced Pediatric Centre is a 300 bed multi-specialty facility dedicated to the care of children. The centre which was inaugurated in 1997 by Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, the then president of India, is equipped with facilities for treatment, teaching and research. The centre provides 24-hour emergency service and a pediatric intensive care unit. It has a separate pediatric outpatient department. The centre provides specialty services in the field of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Neurology, Allergy and Immunology, Pulmonology, Cardiology, Genetics and metabolic diseases. The department has a super specialty of Neonatology with Neonatal Intensive Care facilities.

Super specialty of gastroenterology is housed in a separate wing of the building with all modern facilities for treatment, teaching and research. The department has its own laboratory facilities — biochemistry, enzymology, microbiology, virology, radiology and pathology services. In addition, the department has a full-fledged section for pediatric gastroenterology.

Drug de-addiction and treatment centre has outpatient, inpatient, and outreach components. Liaison with fellowship groups and other centres is maintained which in turn helps in the aftercare, rehabilitation, and manpower development.

Round-the-clock emergency services are provided for issue of blood and blood components. The mobile unit of the department of Transfusion Medicine conducts voluntary blood donation camps in and outside Chandigarh.

The new outpatient department (OPD) block houses most of the outpatient departments which are fully functional. It also has physiotherapy services, minor operation theatres for short surgical procedures. It houses the DOTS centre for giving supervised treatment to patients of tuberculosis.

The Advanced Eye Centre was inaugurated by Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Hon'ble Vice President of India in the august presence of Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss Hon'ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare on 18 March 18, 2006. The Advanced Eye Centre has introduced several new advanced technologies, some of which are among the first in India and include Optical Coherence Tomography, Heidelberg Retinal Tomography, Preferential Hyperacuity Perimetry, Confocal Specular Microscopy, Eye Bank Specular Microscopy, Fluorescein and Indocyanine Green Angiography, Variety of Lasers, Computerized Perimeteric Techniques, Frequency Doubling Technique for Perimetery, High Resolution Ultrasonography, Ultrasonic Biomcroscopy, Corneal Topography, Automated Computerized Refractors and highly sophisticated electrophysiological techniques. All sophisticated ocular surgical procedures — IOL Implants for complicated cataracts, Lasik Surgery for removal of refractive errors, Trauma Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgical Procedures, Endoscopic DCR surgery, Galucoma and Vitreo Retinal Surgery including Laser Surgery for premature babies even in the incubators — are routinely performed. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Retinoblastoma has been introduced.

Research Block A & B is known for its 24-hour work culture and research on most dreadful diseases.

Advanced Cardiac Centre is a 175-bed wing of the hospital that has four cath-labs and four Operating Theaters.

PGIMER, Chandigarh recently started a Clinical Pharmacology Unit (CPU) to undertake research in the field of new drug development. This unit will conduct early phase clinical trials including Phase 1 trials, bioavailability and bioequivalence studies on new drugs in healthy volunteers as well as patients. This is a small, four-bed unit that is equipped to conduct clinical research. The unit is managed by clinical pharmacologists, internists and faculty from intensive care.

Teaching and training

The institute has met the objective of providing educational facilities for the training of medical and non-medical personnel in all the important branches of health activity. PGIMER has attained self-sufficiency in postgraduate medical education and runs a continuous, full-time residency program in most of the specialties of medical sciences, e.g., medicine, surgery, pathology, microbiology etc.

There is an institute of nursing called National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) which imparts nursing education.

PGIMER is involved in research for the rural and community related environment and health problems. There has been a steady progress in developing new research methods and strategies for the benefit of patients. The focus of research has been on tackling diseases like diarrhoea, tuberculosis, malaria, amoebiasis, HIV, leprosy, hepatitis, anaemia, leukaemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, thalassemia, dental caries, stone disease, cancer, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Techniques are available to conduct studies like flow cytometry, chromatography (HPLC, FPLC), molecular biology, positron emission tomography (PET) and genetic studies.

Every year nearly 400 research articles are published for the institute in national and international journals.

A number of departments have been designated as research centres by WHO and national agencies. WHO designated centres include:

• (Community Medicine)/(School of Public Health, PGIMER) is one of the departments imparting training to public health professionals of various categories including MD in Community Medicine and MPH, affiliated by WHO. The department is involved in research on public health issues.
• Clinical research in human reproduction (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)
• Mental Health Centre (Psychiatry)
• Quality Control in Clinical Chemistry (Biochemistry)
• Coagulation (Haematology)
• Clinical Parasitology
• Blood Transfusion and Haematology

The institute has been recognized by the National AIDS Control Organisation and has a voluntary testing and counseling centre (VCTC) on the fourth floor of research A block. The institute provides drugs for treatment of HIV patients.

The founders of this Institute — Prof. Tulsi Das, Prof. Santokh Singh Anand, Prof. PN Chuttani, Prof. BN Aikat, Prof. Sant Ram Dhall and Prof. Bala Krishna — laid the path of excellence for PGIMER.

Admission process

Admission to the postgraduate courses (MD/MS) conducted at PGIMER is through a nationwide competitive entrance examination held every six months. Each year more than 20,000 medical graduates across the country compete for a limited number of positions. Approximately 1% to 2% of the candidates are selected, making it one of the most competitive tests across all fields in India.

Medical courses

These courses are known for the training to prepare the medical graduates worldwide because of the institution's medical services, research and integration.

Doctor of Medicine (MD)

Anaesthesia, Biochemistry, Community Medicine, Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, Medicine, Microbiology, Nuclear Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Radio-diagnosis, Pathology, Pharmacology, Radiotherapy, Transfusion Medicine, Forensic Medicine.

Master of Surgery (MS)

Surgery, Orthopaedics, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology,Anantomy

MDS

Orthodontics, Pedodontia & Preventive Dentistry, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Masters in Hospital Administration (MHA)

Masters in Public Health (MPH)

DM

Cardiac Anaesthesia, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Clinical Pharmacology, Neonatology, Pediatric Critical Care and Pediatric Hemato-Oncology

Mch

Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Paediatric Surgery, Urology, Surgical Gastroenterology, Plastic Surgery

MSc.

Medical Biotechnology (DST funded), Biochemistry, Pharmacology

Courses offered

The PGIMER offers many courses at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. They include

At undergraduate and postgraduate level the courses offered include:

M.Sc in Medical Biotechnology 2 year course, known for its quality research

Elective training

The institute accepts medical students from other countries for elective training in any of its departments. Clearance from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and Medical Council of India, New Delhi is required before the students are accepted. The whole process takes about 3–4 months.

Notable faculty and alumni

• Dr. Ashok Panagariya is a neurologists of India. Dr. Panagariya started teaching neurology in SMS Medical College. He build the Department of Neurology in SMS Medical College from scratch. Dr. Panagariya later became Principal and Controller SMS Medical College and Attached Hospitals. He also remained Vice Chancellor of Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, Jaipur.
• Prof. BNS Walia, paediatrician
• Prof. KK Talwar, cardiologist and former director of the institute
• Prof. ON Bhakoo, father of neonatology in India
• Dr. Brian J. Pereira, president and chief executive officer of the Advanced Magnetics and president of the National Kidney Foundation of the United States of America
• Prof. Rajesh Kumar, epidemiologist and public health specialist in India

See also

Chandigarh portal

• List of medical colleges in India
• AIIMS
• Sanjay Gandhi PGIMS Lucknow
• JIPMER
• NEIGRIHMS Shillong
• Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal

External links

• Official website
• Department of Hospital Administration