S.M. Chandramohan, senior surgical gastroenterologist, passed away on Monday morning, after he suffered a heart attack. He was 64 years old.

Dr. Chandramohan served, until his retirement, with the government in the department of Surgical Gastrenterology at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, and post retirement, he was Director, International student program, Sri Ramachandra Medical College.

Dr. Chandramohan was reputed as a surgeon par excellence, but he was equally renowned for his gentleness and kindness, and for going out of his way to help the poor. Doctors save lives but he went out of the way to rehabilitate men and women who had tried to end their lives. For over two decades Dr. Chandramohan had been treating people who consumed acid either by accident or design. Often, these people had to undergo multiple surgeries leaving them with compromised gastric system. Dozens of such survivors are now living a normal life and have been volunteering with him to help rehabilitate other survivors of acid ingestion.

Dr. Chandramohan graduated from the Thanjavur Medical College in 1974 and completed his MS from Madras Medical College (MMC). He was the best outgoing candidate of that year for the state of Tamil Nadu and won a gold medal from Madras University in 1984. He worked at a rural Primary Health Center which catered to 47 seaside villages of Thanjavur district under the supervision of the Director of Public Health. He was the seventh person to qualify in MCh surgical gasteroenterology, which he pursued under the late N. Rangabashyam in MMC.

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

His pioneering work won him promotion as the head of the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Madras Medical College. His work on upper GI disorders enabled the upgrade of the Department to a Centre of Excellence in Upper GI Surgery, which later evolved into the Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology. It is now recognised as the regional referral centre for upper gastrointestinal disorders.

His passion for his speciality enabled him to develop techniques such as coloplasty for reconstruction. Among the techniques he evolved, is the self-dilatation technique which patients can do themselves. This created a major impact in easing the management of some complex problems.

Dr. Chandramohan had a special interest in managing gastric, oesophageal cancers and GE junction tumours. His innovative surgical techniques in the management of complex pharyngo-oesophago gastric strictures due to corrosives is being followed the world over.

He founded EsoIndia, an organisation that not only helps young surgeons, medical professionals in research but also helps them connect with society. He held awareness programmes during national holidays that were well-attended.

If his surgical acumen has drawn admiration from his colleagues and juniors, then even lay persons were touched at a personal level by his unassuming, affable nature. He was approachable, and believed that living life well was important. His treatment of victims of acid ingestion brought together hundreds of men and women who became his volunteers in carrying forward the message that life must be lived, and lived well.

He is survived by his wife Rema Chandramohan who is the Director in-charge of the Institute of Child Health and two daughters who are both doctors. His elder daughter is a paediatrician and his younger daughter finished her house surgeonship in March this year.

His immediate junior D. Kannan, who was also a professor at MMC said, “He is a great teacher and my immediate senior throughout my career. We worked together in MMC. He was professor of Unit 1 and I was professor of Unit 2,” he said.