Temple City Madurai is traditionally best known for its Dravidian architecture. But over the past decade, the city has been quite successful in creating a unique identity for itself in the advanced healthcare arena, significantly owing to the commendable reputation that Hannah Joseph Hospital has built through the ultra-modern Neurosciences based healthcare. Under the aegis of Dr. M.J. Arunkumar (Chairman & Managing Director, Hannah Joseph Hospital Pvt. Ltd.), one of the most reputed neurosurgeons in the country, Hannah Joseph Hospital today is well on course to build a healthcare hub around Madurai.

“It is my childhood fascination which grew to be my passion towards Neurosurgery that drives me on even today as a Healthpreneur. The constant need for a Comprehensive Institute for Neurosciences with ultra-modern technology is what inspired me to start the Super Specialty hospital in this part of the country, so that people do not need to go to Metropolitan cities to avail advanced technologies for surgeries of the brain and spine/spinal cord”, shares Dr. M.J. Arunkumar, Chairman & Managing Director, Hannah Joseph Hospital.

A blessed medical professional, Dr. Arunkumar boasts unparalleled experience and advanced surgical skills in the field of Micro-neurosurgery & Endoscopic Neurosurgery and technology exposure gained from CMC Vellore and the many workshops he attended in countries like Germany, UK, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and the US. In 2015, he indeed was the first to modernise Neurosurgery in the southern part of Tamil Nadu with the introduction of the German-built high-end Neurosurgical microscope - Carl Zeiss Pentero 900 - with Tumour Fluorescence technology and Intra-Operative Angiography (ICG/ Flow 800) in Neuro vascular surgeries. Dr. Arunkumar also brought in the Brain and Spine Neuro navigation technology by BrainLab, Germany for the first time to the

city of Madurai in the year 2016. The Brain Bypass Surgery (STA-MCA bypass) performed successfully for the first time in southern Tamil Nadu on a 52 year old lady patient in 2018 was just one among the dozens of pioneering medical procedures he performed in Hannah Joseph Hospital over the past decade.

The President (Elect) of the Tamil Nadu Association of Neurological Surgeons (TANS), Dr. Arunkumar has also been an invited Faculty in Neurosurgery for many state and national Neurosurgical conferences. Furthermore, he has authored several national & international peer reviewed publications in the last two decades based on his services and experience in the Neurosurgical field. He has also been the examiner for the Diplomate of National Board of Examinations in Neurosurgery.

Dr. M.J. Arunkumar has authored several national & international peer reviewed publications in the last two decades based on his services and experience in the Neurosurgical field

Led by him, Hannah Joseph Hospital has always been at the forefront of introducing world class healthcare technologies, methodologies and tools ever since it was established. It proves significant right from introducing the concept of minimally invasive neurosurgery in the field of brain and spine surgeries in this part of Tamil Nadu using advanced gadgets procured including anesthesia workstation (Drager, Germany) and completing 300 surgeries in a year on a success rate at par with the hospital’s nation al institutes and the West, to integrating a state-of-the- art complex for Neurosciences, Cardiac sciences, Orthopedics and Traumatology apart from the division of Interventional Neuroradiology with the introduction of the Hybrid Neuro-Cardiac Cathlab from Philips and the Digital MRI (1.5 Tesla) also from Philips. This also includes removing a brain tumour completely from an adult using local anaesthesia and brain mapping with the patient fully conscious (Awake Craniotomy) during the entire two-and-a half-hour procedure successfully for the first time in South Tamil Nadu, among dozens of other firsts in the region.

The entire spectrum of Neurosciences is not complete without the division of Neuro-oncology. Therefore, it has started working through the planning of department of Oncological sciences housing Medical, Surgical and Radiation Oncology. These will be helping many in the near future. The hospital will also facilitate its own patients with the Neuro-oncology services within its facilities. There’s also plan of starting the Oncology division and satellite centres/hospitals in Tier-II & Tier-III cities expansively.