Ganga Hospital, a pioneer in Plastic Surgery, Complex Hand and Microsurgery, and Burns in Coimbatore, has announced a landmark milestone in its mission to advance global surgical standards.

As of March 2026, the Department of Plastic, Hand, and Reconstructive Microsurgery at Ganga Hospital has trained over 3,534 surgeons from 89 countries and 166 Indian cities, establishing the institution as one of the most visited surgical training units in the world.

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Dr. S. Raja Sabapathy, Head of the Department, reflected on this achievement: “Among the many accomplishments of Ganga that bring me pride, our unit becoming a preferred center for training surgeons worldwide ranks very high. What began as a trickle of visitors in the early nineties has grown into a steady stream of over 150 surgeons every year, with 182 visiting in 2026.”

Over the last three and a half decades, Ganga Hospital has evolved from a regional center of excellence into a global reference point. Surgeons from across the globe travel to Coimbatore to benefit from the hospital’s extraordinary clinical volume, unmatched depth of surgical diversity, and its model of delivering high-quality care at an affordable cost.

Despite a global decline in international travel during the early 2020s, Ganga Hospital experienced a remarkable post-pandemic surge. The institution recorded its highest-ever visitor numbers in recent years, with 234 surgeons visiting the Plastic Surgery Department in 2023 and 223 in 2024, demonstrating a robust demand for the specialized expertise nurtured within its walls.

By January 2026, the Plastic Surgery Department had crossed the milestone of hosting over 3,500 surgeons. While published records of visitors to other surgical units in India are limited, the hospital believes it is among the most visited units in the country in any specialty.

Dr. Hari Venkatramani, Consultant in the Department of Plastic Surgery, noted, “Since our visitors come from top universities worldwide, a two-way learning process is established, and our unit continues to improve.”

Visitors come not only from developing nations but also from leading institutions in developed countries. The United Kingdom, with 272 surgeon visitors, and the USA, with 139, top the list of countries from which visitors have come.

The week-long Microsurgery Laboratory course conducted by the department is considered one of the best in the world. With a capacity to train four surgeons at a time, nearly 2,000 surgeons have completed the course.

The list of past visitors and fellows at Ganga Hospital reads like a “Who’s Who” of Plastic and Reconstructive Microsurgery, featuring many of the most accomplished plastic, hand, and trauma surgeons of our time. By fostering an environment of transparency and hands-on learning, Ganga Hospital continues to influence surgical practices across nearly every continent.

Dr. Raja Shanmugakrishnan, Consultant in the Department of Plastic Surgery, said, “Hand and Microsurgery and complex trauma reconstruction have been our strong fields. By continuously improving, adopting new subspecialties such as Burns, Diabetic Foot Surgery, and Breast and Cancer Reconstruction, and following the principle of process excellence in everything we do, the Plastic Surgery Department is confident of leading the world in the future.”