About Us
The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Ramaiah Medical College and Memorial Hospitals, was established in 1988 and is one of the first Gastroenterology departments in the state.
Spread over a combined area of 2500 sq ft, this department houses experienced gastroenterology faculty and state of the art equipment for endoscopic and non-endoscopic services. The department is staffed by two full-time professors of Gastroenterology and an experienced assistant professor. A DM Gastroenterology program has been running since 2011 with three students being trained every year. The department is a high volume centre with over 80-90 patients attending OPD services every day on an average. In-patient facilities are also available with full-time specialised doctors on call and trained nursing and in-house staff that cover the entire range of GI disorders. All the consultants in the department have completed training in advanced endoscopy and provide expert diagnostic and therapeutic care to patients with GI disorders.
Over the last 10 years, the medical Gastroenterology department has expanded into a department that boasts capability to perform almost all prevalent diagnostic as well as therapeutic procedures. In addition, cutting edge procedures like spiral enteroscopy, therapeutic endoscopic ultrasonography, high resolution manometry, etc are being performed regularly by skilled endoscopists. Owing to the early institution of this vast infrastructure coupled with high patient footfall, it has enabled the development of skilled Endoscopy suite, the establishment of a GI technician course and a relentless commitment to achieve excellence in patient care. A total of 4 procedure rooms are running at any given time with an average load of 5500 upper endoscopy and 2000 colonoscopies performed every year. In addition, we perform more than 500 ERCP and more than 200 EUS procedures for various diagnostic and therapeutic indications every year. Non-endoscopic procedures like esophageal manometry and 24hr pH metry, Hydrogen breath tests are also available.
A continuous quality control initiative has been set up in the department with the singular focus of patient safety. The department is also a centre of excellence in endoscopy training with a unique cadaver model that is second to none in the country.
In an era of transformative technology.. The use of Artificial intelligence in endoscopy is a specific area of interest in which the department has made giant strides. The department faculty is involved in multiple projects with industry collaborations in colonic polyp detection and image diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. The department of Gastroenterology is uniquely placed to take advantage of the rapid progress in the field by instituting inclusive policies, streamlined processes and specialised faculty who are academically inclined and clinically accomplished.
Highlights
- The total number of Publications from the Department are 43 with 29 of them the faculty as first or corresponding author. Nineteen publications are published in high impact journals.
- There were three first reported in literature procedures- Endoscopic Ultrasound guided transoral drainage of parapharyngeal abscess, malignancy from fistula in ano and transesophageal biopsy of parathyroid adenoma.
- The Department has first of its kind of training endoscopic procedures on human cadavers at M.S.Ramaiah Advanced Learning Center (ALC).
- The stricture simulation model based hands on training and symbionix simulator training at ALC are unique in the Department.
- The Department is Pentax Center of Excellence (2018) in Endoscopic Training and conducted multiple hands on training sessions.
Message From The HoD
Welcome to the Department of Gastroenterology!
As the Head of the Department, it is my privilege to lead a team of dedicated professionals committed to providing exceptional care in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. Our department is at the forefront of diagnosing and treating a wide range of gastrointestinal and liver disorders, utilizing state-of-the-art technology and evidence-based practices. We take pride in our patient-centered approach, ensuring that every individual receives personalized and compassionate care.
Dr. Harshavardhan Rao Professor & HOD
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