DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPAEDICS AND TRAUMATOLOGY

The Past:

The Orthopaedic Department in Govt. Rajaji Hospital is about 74 years old and very few Departments in India can claim this seniority by this time. For want of patients coming with orthopaedic problems, the first orthopaedic ward with 8 beds was started at the Old Fort Hospital near Periyar Bus Stand in the year 1938 under the charge of Dr Yegaya Narayanan (Honorary Assistant) under the supervision of Col. Sheperd (The District Medical Officer). By 1940 the Department was shifted to Govt. Rajaji Hospital present premises. Surgical management of fractures was started in 1938 itself. Dr A.S Annamalai was instrumental in doing numerous surgeries in Ortho Dept and bringing international glory to the Dept. Dr Bashir was the first qualified ortho surgeon in the Dept.  

The Department flourished further under Dr K.A Ramalingam and Dr P.Krishna Menon. Dr. S.T. Sundarraj was the first Professor of Orthopaedics in Govt. Rajaji Hospital. Subsequently Dr. Thomas Xavier, Dr. P. Sounderrajan, Dr.M.Ramanathan, Dr. A. Subramanian, Dr. G. Swaminathan, Dr. I. Swaminathan, Dr T.Prabhakaran, Dr M.Chidambaram, Dr. Dhanraj, Dr.Malairaju, Dr Raviraman, Dr V.Pugalenthi, Dr. P.Arivasan, Dr.B.Sivakumar held the prestigious post of HOD of Orthopedics. Presently Prof. Dr. V.R.Ganesan is holding the post.  

Diploma courses were started in 1969 and M.S. Ortho Courses were started in 1973.  

The Present:

Presently the Department is functioning exclusively in the newly constructed Anna Bus Stand Complex with bed strength of 363. The outpatient department caters to 350 to 400 Orthopaedic patients daily on an average. Arthroplasty clinic, Spine clinic, Paediatric Ortho clinic, Bone tumor clinic, Foot & Ankle clinic, Sports Injury clinic are the Orthopaedic sub- specialty clinics which function on the out-patient department apart from the regular general orthopaedic clinic, on all days of week except Sunday. A separate injection OPD (intraarticular and intralesional) is being run by the department  

The department trains 12 M.S. Ortho Postgraduates yearly and paramedical staffs - Plaster technicians, Physician Assistants and Theatre assistants. The Emergency department has been revamped under the Tamil Nadu Accident and Emergency Care Initiative (T.A.E.I) and provides world class care to the accident and trauma victims. The Emergency & Elective operation theatre complex functions with four operative tables each, and full-fledged  

surgical teams. The Madurai Govt. Rajaji Hospital, Bone Bank started in 2021, adds a feather to the crown of the department wherein fresh frozen bone grafts are processed, stored and dispatched to the needy patients. Newer SICU ward especially for the post operative orthopedic patients started with 10 beds and with necessary infrastructure near the elective OT. For Spine Injury and Bed sore patients a separate ward is run by the department with 10 beds. For the patients who want additional comforts a separate PAYWARD with 8 beds is maintained by the TNMSC in this campus and the patients prefer to use them with nominal charges. With the surgical team working 24 hours round the clock, an average of 20 25 major and minor surgical cases are being performed every day. The fully air-conditioned Auditorium not only stages daily academic classes but also relays live surgical demonstration by our proficient faculties. Daily academics like journal club, surgical audits, topic presentations for the post graduates as per NMC guidelines and wide  

variety of surgical exposure makes this department the most sought after by every aspiring orthopaedic post graduate. Regular CMEs are frequently arranged thereby expert surgeons share their knowledge making the young surgeons stand abreast with the top-skilled faculties. The department performing various complex surgeries like revision replacement surgeries, scoliosis correction, Arthroscopic surgeries, Tumour surgeries, deformity correction, poly trauma management and providing comprehensive orthopaedic care makes it the most sought after tertiary care centre by patients from South Tamil Nadu.  

The Future:

The surgical theatre complex has been approved for further modifications to world class Modular operation theatre complex. Plans are on to procure Full endoscopic spine systems and robotic knee replacements units. A Full-fledged air conditioned, digital library with access to entire orthopaedic journal database is on the cards. An interconnected digital server to store and retrieve all the patient's surgical profile and summary is being developed. A virtual surgical skill lab is being organized where the post graduates can upskill their surgical skills. With all the upcoming projects, the department will reach the zenith and shall be the apex institute in training the post graduates and providing global comprehensive patient care.

Click here to view the Gallery PDF
Explore the department gallery to view photographs of our laboratories, classrooms, academic activities, training programs, diagnostic units, and important departmental events.

2025 - 2026:

IIIrd  YEAR POST GRADUATES

IInd YEAR POST GRADUATES:

I ST YEAR POST GRADUATES: