Chandramohan, who saved lives of numerous acid victims, passes away at 64

Dr SM Chandramohan, a renowned gastroenterologist, known for saving lives of many acid victims, died in Chennai early Monday (July 06) morning. He was 64.

Chandramohan was the founder-director of the Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Chennai. He had set up the Centre of Excellence for Upper GI Surgery at Madras Medical College (MMC) which is part of the hospital complex. After his retirement, he served as the director, International Student Program, Sri Ramachandra Medical College (SRMC), Chennai.

Pioneering work

While he excelled in his profession and held high offices in government institutions, he would be remembered more for his service to the poor. He rescued many patients who would reach him in a hopeless condition after consuming acid. Most of them with suicidal tendencies would have drank acid to end their lives but ended up damaging their esophagus and intestine, resulting in more misery.

Dr Chandramohan would tend such patients. In the last two decades, he would have rehabilitated many such patients. He used innovative methods to reduce the sufferings of his patients as acid would burn through the digestive tracts of its victims.   

In medical parlance, this would be described as “management of caustic injuries of the upper GI”. His innovative surgical techniques are followed all over the world.

He received his medical degree in 1979 from Thanjavur Medical College and completed his postgraduate training at MMC. He was the best outgoing student of the year in 1984 and was honoured with a gold medal from University of Madras. 

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He started his practice at a rural primary health centre which catered to 47 seaside villages of Thanjavur district. Later he joined the prestigious MCh Surgical Gastroenterology super speciality program at the Madras Medical College under the leadership of Prof N Rangabashyam, who pioneered gastroenterological studies in India. Dr Chandramohan was the seventh person in the country to receive the degree.

He founded the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology at the Institute of Non-Communicable Diseases at Government Royapettah Hospital and became the Professor at Government Kilpauk Medical College in 2000. 

Due to his efforts, the Centre of Excellence for Upper GI Surgery at RGGGH has been upgraded to Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology. The institute has been recognised as the regional referral centre for upper gastrointestinal disorders. He was instrumental in increasing the MCh Surgical Gastroenterology (postgraduate) seats from two to six per year the largest in the country.

Creating awareness through social work

He founded ESOINDIA, an organisation to create awareness about gastrointestinal health and served as its president. The organisation largely worked among acid victims. Some of the survivors later joined his movement to create awareness about suicide prevention.

During his time at RGGGH and even after his retirement, he would conduct essay writing competition across the state for the general public on gastrointestinal health. He would present some of the survivors to drive home a strong message against suicides.

He has authored several books on cancer awareness. He is survived by wife and two daughters. He died of cardiac arrest at SRMC hospital around 8 am after he complaining of uneasiness around 5 am.