Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh

The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh was conceived in 1960 as a center of excellence which would endeavour to develop patterns of teaching in postgraduate medical education in as many branches as possible and attempt to produce specialists in several disciplines of medicine. It was also envisaged that these specialists would spread out in the country in various medical colleges and medical institutions and impart medical education of highest standard to the students and set up nucleus of excellence in their own institutions. The PGIMER was also given the responsibility to broaden the horizons of medical knowledge by intensive research in the field of health.

Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,  Chandigarh was mandated to

1. Provide high quality patient care.

2. Attain self-sufficiency in postgraduate medical education and to meet the country’s need for highly qualified medical teachers in all medical and surgical disciplines.

3. Provide educational facilities for the training of personnel in all important branches of health activity.

4. Undertake basic community based research.

Mission Statment

The mission of PGI is "service to the community, care of the needy and research for the good of all".

History

The PGIMER owes its inception to the vision of late Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, the then Chief Minister of Punjab and the distinguished medical educationists of the then combined state of Punjab, supported by the first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru who considered the institutions of scientific knowledge as temples of learning and the places of pilgrimage. The institute started in 1962 and Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru inaugurated the hospital now named “Nehru Hospital” on 7th July 1963. The Institute was originally under the Government of undivided Punjab. After the reorganization of the state, the administrative control of the institute passed on to the Union Territory of Chandigarh in November 1966.  The Institute became an autonomous body under the Act of Parliament in 1967 functioning under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, with the following mandate.

• Provide high quality patient care. 

• Attain self-sufficiency in postgraduate medical education and to meet the country’s need for highly qualified medical teachers in all medical and surgical fields.

• Provide educational facilities for the training of personnel in all-important branches of health activity.

• Undertake basic community based research.

The Institute is continuing to achieve the objective of service to the community, care of the needy and research for the good of all. The Institute has shown the way to the entire nation in the sphere of health care and medical training.

Patient Care

1. The Nehru Hospital, the most vital part of the Institute, caters to the need of very sick and has about 50,000 annual admissions. The Institute has important diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, which are important compliments to the parallel clinical specialties.

2. A comprehensive emergency department (140 bedded) with divisions catering to medical, pediatric, surgical emergencies and trauma round the clock is a remarkable feature of the Institute. The new emergency block has attached laboratory, X-ray and operation theatre facilities. The department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging has facilities for MRI, CT scan, ultrasound and caters to the emergency services besides the routine service.

3. The Institute is actively involved in the community health services. The department of Community Medicine & School of Public Health along with departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology are busy conducting studies pertaining to the community health needs.

4. Advanced Pediatric Centre (300 bedded) is a multi speciality facility dedicated to the care of children. The centre which was inaugurated in 1997 by Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma,  the then president of has been equipped with  modern facilities for treatment, teaching and research. The centre provides a 24 hours emergency service and a pediatric intensive care unit. It has a separate pediatric outpatient department. The centre provides speciality  services in the field of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Allergy and  Immunology, Pulmonology, Cardiology, Genetics and metabolic diseases. The department also has a super specialty of Neonatology  with Neonatal Intensive Care facilities.

5. Super speciality of Gastroenterology is housed in a separate building with all modern facilities for treatment, teaching and research. The department has its own laboratory facilities - biochemistry, enzymology, microbiology, virology, radiology and pathology services. In addition, the department has a full-fledged section of pediatric gastroenterology.

6. Drug de-addiction and treatment centre has well functioning outpatient, inpatient, and outreach components. Active liaison with fellowship groups and other centres is maintained which in turn helps in the aftercare, rehabilitation, and manpower development.

7. Round the clock emergency services are provided for issue of blood and blood components. Mobile unit of the department of Transfusion Medicine conducts voluntary blood donation camps within and outside Chandigarh.

8. New OPD Block houses most of the out patient departments which are fully functional. It also has physiotherapy services, minor operation theatres for short surgical procedures. It also houses the  DOTS centre for giving supervised treatment to patients of tuberculosis.

9. Advanced Eye Centre was inaugrated by Sh. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Hon'ble Vice President of India in the august presence of Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss Hon'ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday, March 18, 2006. The Advanced eye Centre has introduced several new advanced technologies, some of which are among the first in India and include Optical Coherence Tomography, Heidelberg Retinal Tomography, Prefrential Hyperacuity Perimetery, Confocal Specular Microscopy, Eye Bank Specular Microscopy, Fluorescein and Indocyanine Green Angiography, Variety of Lasers, Computerized Perimeteric Techniques, Frequency Doubling Technique for Perimetery, High Resolution Ultrasonography, Ultrasonic Biomcroscopy, Corneal Topography, Automated Computerized Refractors and highly sophisticated electrophysiological techniques. All sophisticated ocular surgical procedures viz: IOL Implants for complicated cataracts, Lasik Surgery for removal of refractive errors, Trauma Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgical Procedures, Endoscopic DCR surgery, Galucoma and Vitreo Retinal Surgery including Laser Surgery for premature babies even in the incubators are routinely performed. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Retinoblastoma has been introduced.

Teaching / Training

The Institute has met the objective of providing educational facilities for the training of personnel both medical and non-medical in all the important branches of health activity. The Institute has attained self sufficiency in postgraduate medical education and runs a continuous, full time residency program in most of the specialties of medical sciences e.g. medicine, surgery, pathology, etc.

There is a full fledged institute of nursing called National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) which imparts quality nursing education.

The Institute is involved in research for the rural and community related environment and health problems. There has been a steady progress in developing new research methods and strategies for the benefit of patients. The focus of research has been on tackling diseases like diarrhoea, tuberculosis, malaria, amoebiasis, HIV, leprosy, hepatitis, anaemia, leukaemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, thalassemia, dental caries, stone disease, cancer, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Various modern techniques are available to conduct studies like flow cytometry, chromatography (HPLC, FPLC), molecular biology, and genetic studies.

Every year nearly 400 research articles are published for the institute in national and international journals.

A number of departments have been designated as research centres by WHO and various national agencies. WHO designated Centres include:

• Clinical research in human reproduction (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)

• Mental Health Centre (Psychiatry)

• Quality Control in Clinical Chemistry (Biochemistry)

• Coagulation (Haematology)

• Clinical Parasitology

• Blood Transfusion and Haematology

The Institute has been recognized by National AIDS Control Organisation and has a voluntary testing and counseling centre (VCTC) located at the fourth floor of the research A block. The institute provides free drugs for treatment of HIV patients.

The founders of this Institute Prof. Tulsi Das, Prof. Santokh Singh Anand, Prof. PN Chuttani, Prof. BN Aikat, Prof. Sant Ram Dhall and Prof. Bala Krishna laid the path of excellence for the Institute.