RAILWAY HOSPITAL, PERAMBUR - THE PRIDE OF SOUTHERN RAILWAY

Total patient satisfaction through humane approach and shared commitment of every single doctor and paramedic to provide quality healthcare using modern and cost effective techniques and technologies.' - Thus goes the mission statement of the medical department of Southern Railway

Railway Hospital, Perambur which provides high quality healthcare at competitive charges was established in the year 1928. It had various specialities in the fields of medicine, surgery, gynaecology and pediatrics even during its early years. Growing by leaps and bounds, it was expanded to a 220-bed hospital during 1960. In the year 1978, facilities for cardiac surgery were commenced under the guidance of Padmabhushan Dr.T.J. Cherian. That it is the national referral hospital for Indian Railways in the super specialities of Cardiology and Cardio Vascular surgery speaks volumes of its expertise, acquired during the last 3 decades. Besides, it has super speciality treatment facilities in the fields of Nephrology and Plastic Surgery.

This renowned hospital was recognized for FRCS training in as early as 1993 and by the Diplomate of National Board in various specialities. Thus, the Railway Hospital in Perambur has now become a teaching institution of repute with both national and international standing.

Not one to rest on its laurels, Railway Hospital, Perambur has continually evolved over the times. It possesses state of the art equipments in all specialities to provide optimal patient care. I The latest catheterization laboratory in cardiology, laser surgery equipments, colour doppler systems are a few such equipments. The different ICUs in the hospital provide round-the-clock care to critically ill patients.

Does it cost a fortune to receive medical treatment here, the quality being top class? Quite the contrary. The charges here are much less than the prevailing market rates. For instance, a hernia operation in this hospital costs only Rs.4500 as against Rs. 15000 - Rs.20000 elsewhere. A coronary bye-pass surgery is done here for Rs. 1,15,000 whereas in other hospitals the charges are in the range of Rs. 1.5 lakh - Rs. 2 lakh. However, the quality of healthcare provided here is not compromised due to lowercharges.

This department conduct general, oncology and gastrointestinal surgeries. About250majorsurgeries are performed in a month. Aunique feature of this department is the expertise it has in laser-assisted surgeries and

laparascopic surgeries. Laser assisted surgeries cause less bleeding and help in faster recovery of patients. More than 12,000 laser-assisted operations have been performed till date. It is to be noted that Railway Hospital, Perambur is the pioneer in conducting laser assisted surgeries in the city.

The Indian Railways took a major step in health care when it established the Cardiac Unit at the Railway Hospital in Perambur in 1979. At that time there were only a few similar units such as the ones at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Delhi and at the Christian Medical College (CMC) at Vellore. The cardiac centre at the Railway Hospital in Perambur proved to be useful not only to the railway population but also to the general public, as many of the leading cardiac centers in India today are staffed by doctors who were trained at Perambur.

Today it has grown into a centre of excellence performing over 1000 cardiac operation procedures and 2500 catheterization lab procedures, including around 600 interventional procedures per year. A special feature of this department is that not only has it one of the best records in difficult procedures but that they are done at a cost which is a fraction of that charged by private hospitals.

The unit is an all India referral centre for cardiovascular diseases for the Indian Railways and a sizeable number of non-railway patients are also treated in this unit. The department offers a complete range of services, including adult and pediatric cardiology, coronary and peripheral interventional procedures and electrophysiology services. The department has many firsts to its credit and has been a pioneer in open heart surgery, coronary angioplasty in acute mycocardial infarction, carotid stenting etc.