Beauty is skin deep. Dermatology is not. The skin
comprises of 16% of total body weight and is the largest organ of the body. It
is in fact an organ system. The skin is exposed to several environmental
factors and infectious agent. There are nearly 2000 skin diseases including
about 100 congenital cutaneous disorders.
The teaching department was started in the Govt. General Hospital
Guntur in 1955. Post Graduate diploma courses in Dermatology were stated in
1963. The commission of Indian Medical Council has inspected the Department of
Dermatology and approved the commencement of Post graduate degree (M.D) in
Dermatology. Post graduate degree courses were started 19 July 1967. The
annual intake of Postgraduate students is 1(one)for degree course, and 2(two)
for diploma course.
Every year the Department trains undergraduate students and internees
apart from Nursing students, Trainee sanitary Inspectors. The department also
trains post graduate students from the department of Venerelogy, Paediatrics
and general Medicine for various periods of time. The department has a very
good collection of books, in the Sectional Library as well as current Journals
of Dermatology, Leprology and allied subjects which serve as a treasure of
Knowledge in the rapidly developing specialty of dermatology. The department is also quipped with many aids for
illustrative teaching like wax models,
charts and clinical photographs depicting a variety of skin diseases. For diagnostic
purposes the facility of woods lamp is available in oral mucus
membrane and cutaneous nerve biopsies are conducted as a routine in the out
patient wing of the department. The Inpatient Wing of Department has a
sanctioned bed strength of 16. The department has published 20 papers on
various topics based on original work. Collaborative Research work is being
carried out with the departments of Pathology, Microbiology and Biochemistry. The Department caters to the needs of
patients from the coastal
districts and also patients from Nalgonda and Khammam districts.
The Department has evolved into a fully developed and fully equipped
post graduate centre of excellence.
