The Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology was officially started on September 9, 1963 at the Government of Erskine Hospital, Madura. The founder of this department was Prof. M. Natarajan.
In this year 1982, Government of Tamil Nadu sanctioned a separate head injury unit with 27 beds and was equipped with a separate radiology unit, intensive care unit (ICU) as well as an operation theatre within the same complex.
In the year 1986, the Department of Neurosurgery had 46 elective beds, 27 head injury beds, a separate Neuroradiology unit with a neuroradiologist, three Neurosurgical units with three unit chiefs, eight assistant professors, and an intake of three Neurosurgery residents every year. With these facilities, the turnover of the department increased by leaps and bounds.
In 1983, the Department of Neurosurgery, Government Rajaji Hospital and Madurai Medical College, celebrated its 20th anniversary. In the same year, the Annual Conference of the Neurological Society of India was conducted at Madurai. Several foreign neurosurgical dignitaries to attend this meeting. These include the famous, Dr. Rassmussen under whom many fist-generation neurosurgeons from India had trained. The department had a regular stream of foreign visitors, including the legendary Dr. Earl A Walker who came to deliver lectures in the department.
Heads of Department of Neurosurgery
The following table:
|
Head of the Department |
Period |
|
Prof. M. Natarajan |
1963-1986 |
|
Prof. S. Athiappan |
1986-1988 |
|
Prof. R. Gajendran |
1988-1996 |
|
Prof. K. Pushparaj |
1996-2004 |
|
Prof. V. Inbasekaran |
2004-2006 |
|
Prof. S. Manoharan |
2006-2009 |
|
Prof. D. Kailairajan |
2009-2010 |
|
Prof. N. Asok Kumar |
2010-2012 |
|
Prof. N. Muthukumar |
2012-2017 |
|
Prof. R. Veerapandian |
2017-till date |
DR.R.VEERAPANDIAN MS, MCh,
PROFESSOR & HOD OF NEUROSURGERY
At Present,
The department is having 3 professors, one associate professor and 9 assistant professors with yearly intake of 4MCh post graduate students.
The department is routinely conducting theory classes, academic ward rounds, journal clubs, seminars and CMFs.
The department is having 2 state of the art fully equipped operation theaters with 4 OT days per week. The facilities available in the elective OT are 2 high end operating Microscopes (Carl Zeiss and Leica), 3 word class drill systems (Medtronic, Aesculap and Stryker), 2 Neuro endoscopes, CUSA, 3 dedicated Neuro OT tables with skull clamps, 2 Intra operative Neuro monitoring facilities (16 and 32 channels), Stereotaxy system and Medtronics Stealthsystem Neuro Navigation.
Elective Neurosurgical ward is having 45 beds for Male and 43 beds for Female patients. Elective Neurosurgical Intensive care unit is having 20 ICU cots with 10 ventilators, Infusion pumps, Syringe pumps, Alpha beds and multi para monitors.
Trauma Care:
The Department is having separate head injury Intensive care unit functioning 24 x 7 with 24 ICU cots and 12 ventilators, ICP monitor, Infusion pumps, Syringe pumps, Alpha beds and multi para monitors. A separate Neuro trauma operation theater functioning throughout the day with 4 drill systems and all Neuro trauma theater equipments. The department is also having 40 beds for step down ICU for traumatic brain injury patients.
Conferences Conducted by the Department of Neurosurgery, Madurai Medical College
- Two annual conferences of the Neurological Society of India, once in 1983 and again in 2006.
- 2nd National Neurotrauma conference in 1993.
- Five consecutive spine conferences between 2001 and 2009.
- TANS (Tamilnadu and Puducherry association of Neurological Surgeons) academic meet in 2017.