· Advanced Trauma Centre has begun to function partially. In the radiology wing of the Advance Trauma Center, a 64 detector computed tomography machine was installed recently along with high end ultrasound machine capable of fusion imaging and navigation and one direct digital X-Ray machine capable of performing 3-D volume radiography and dual energy radiography.
· The Advanced Facility for Small Animal Research of the Central Animal House of PGIMER, a State-of-art complex for conducting advanced medical research using small animals including mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits has started. It is the first of its kind facility in any medical institution in India and is centrally air-conditioned with a modern animal operation theater, laboratories, IVC system as well as facilities for conducting animal autopsy.
· The new Artificial Kidney Unit was inaugurated recently. This unit has a large hemodialysis area which currently has 21 hemodialysis machines. Another 4 hemodialysis machines are available in a separate room where patients with hepatitis B/C infection will be provided dialysis (to prevent spread of these infections to other patients). Thus the unit currently has 25 hemodialysis machines.
· An Automated Hematology Analyzer in the Hematology laboratory facility of the Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatric Centre was installed. The state-of-the-art equipment can process upto 50 samples per hour.
This would aid in generating reports within a few hours for the tiny tots.
· A Cellonics Laboratory has been set up in the Department of Experimental Medicine & Biotechnology as a DST–FIST sponsored lab and houses a flow cytometer (BD LSR II) with appropriate software and working area. Since its establishment this year it has been catering to intradepartmental and extra departmental research requirements involving flow cytometry.
· The Department of Pulmonary Medicine at PGI, Chandigarh took a leap in providing the state-of-the-art interventional pulmonology services in the year 2011. The bronchoscopy unit of the department has recently started an endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) service which helps in the diagnosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes and masses thus obviating the need for invasive surgical procedures. This is the only department in the Government sector in the entire country which is offering the endobronchial ultrasound services for the people at affordable prices.
· The Advanced Eye Centre at the PGI introduced femtosecond laser-assisted lasik surgery.. It is one of the finest technologies available in the world, which the PGI offered at the most reasonable prices.
· Multi-level parking Phase II was completed.
· Lecture Theatre Complex in Nehru Hospital was renovated fully.
· Two boilers have been installed in the Laundry Section.
· New Oxygen cylinder tank has been installed for Nehru Hospital.
Advancements in Patient Care
The Department of Hepatology in collaboration with the surgical team has started the Liver Transplantation program in the institute and has successfully done two Deceased Donor Liver Transplants (DDLT) in the year 2011. As the experience and number of patients undergoing liver transplantation increases, there will also be introduction of Live Donor Liver Transplant (LDLT) programme in the institute.
The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation launched four special clinics to upgrade the patient support systems at PGI i.e. Spine Clinic – Back School, Sports Injury Rehabilitation Clinic, Cerebral Palsy Clinic and CABG Clinic.
The department of Plastic Surgery has started aesthetic surgery on a limited scale. This includes hair transplant, breast augmentation and reduction, abdominoplasy, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty and management of the male breast enlargement.
The department of Nuclear Medicine introduced Gallium-68 DOTATATE studies for Neuroendocrine tumors and F-18 FDG Leukocyte investigation for infection imaging.
The department of Otolaryngology has performed 12 cochlear implants during this year and has an active cochlear implant programme which takes up patients with profound hearing loss who have no hope even with most powerful hearing aids. The department has done more than 65 implants during the last 7 years. These children after implantation have been integrated into regular schools and are performing very well academically.
Thirteen bodies were donated for research purposes in Department of Anatomy.
Two hundred and ninety eyes were donated in the Department of Ophthalmology.
Ten kidneys of five cadavers were transplanted to ten patients in the Department of Renal Transplant Surgery. An Organ Donation Awareness Campaign was organized to increase public awareness and participation in the deceased donor organ transplantation programme.
Patient-Friendly Steps
· Timings for blood sample collection in New OPD block were extended from 11.30am-12.30pm.
· FM Life Line of All India Radio which is broadcast every Tuesday where an expert from PGI answers public queries completed five years in August. Every Wednesday a doctor goes from the Institute for the phone-in, one to one conversation with the public sitting at home.
Recruitments & Promotions
Hundred faculty members in various departments were recruited and 133 faculty members were promoted.
About 20 employees in different sections and 312 nursing staff had been recruited and 65 employees had been promoted.
About 750 Group D employees are being trained in the Institute so that they are benefited with higher grade pay.
Awards & Honours
· Two PGI doctors received ICMR Awards: Dr Deepak Kumar Bhasin from department of Gastroenterology for his outstanding research in the field of gastroenterology and Dr Sandeep Grover from the Department of Psychiatry whose work on the care of schizophrenics drew attention of the jury. Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad presented the awards in New Delhi. Dr Bhasin received the Basanti Devi Amir Chand Prize and Dr Sandeep Grover, was presented with Tilak Venkoba Rao Award for 2007.
· Prof Sunit Singhi, Head Department of Pediatrics, and Chief, Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, PGI Chandigarh was awarded the Swasth Bharat Samman award by the Hon’ble Health Minister Shri Gulam Nabi Azad. The award was bestowed on Prof Singhi for achieving excellence in the field of medical services and for his contribution to the public health care system of India.
· Dr SK Jindal, Professor & Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh was selected for the Outstanding Educator Award for 2011 for his academic and scientific contributions. The award recognizes lifetime contributions in education and mentoring in the field of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.
· Dr. S.K. Singh, Professor of Urology, was awarded with Best Poster Presentation in Poster Session on “Diagnostic techniques in functional Urology” during the 26th Annual European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress, at Vienna, Austria in March, 2011.
· Professor Dheeraj Gupta, from department of Pulmonary Medicine has been elected to the prestigious fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), London. This is the highest honour which the Royal College of Physicians can bestow on a doctor not trained in UK and is limited to a maximum of 20 such fellows.
· Prof. Ram Samujh, Department of Paediatric Surgery, PGIMER was awarded best Oral Presentation award in the 40th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka jointly held with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh & The Federation of Associations of Pediatric Surgeons of SAARC countries.
· Professor Mandeep Dhillon, Head Deptt of Orthopaedics PGIMER Chandigarh, was elected as the President of the Indian Arthroplasty Association at the Biennial Conference of the IAA held at Hyderabad.
· Dr (Mrs) S.V. Rana, Professor and Chief of Clinical Biochemistry section of Department of Gastroenterology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh was awarded a prestigious award for the Research paper entitled “Low fibre diet for three days is required to avoid false positive test for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in Indian patients with irritable bowel syndrome”.