Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine is one of the oldest rehabilitation centers in India. This is the second institute in India which was started in the year 1959, after the King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. It is one of the Institute of Madras Medical College, it found its current own place away from Madras Medical College at Ashok Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The institute includes a hospital, headed by a director who is a Physiatrist, chief of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department's Post Graduate Medical Courses. GIRM conducts 3 year MD(PMR), and 2 year Diploma in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PHYSIATRY otherwise called PMR) courses for medical (Post MBBS) graduates. Institute also hosts allied Health Science Courses and has College of Physiotherapy, School of Orthotics and Prosthetics and Artificial Limb center. GIRM was a Regional Rehabilitation and Training Center under Ministry of Health, India.
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College of Physiotherapy
The School of Physiotherapy was kick started by Prof. Vittal rao who was trained in England. The program in Physiotherapy started as one-year training, where the nurses were recruited to pursue Physical Therapy. Later it was upgraded as two and half year Diploma program. In 1981 it was further upgraded as degree program of three and a half years. Ultimately, it attained its current four and half years curriculum in the year 1998. College of Physiotherapy, Chennai was affiliated to the University of Madras until early 90s later to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University till date. This college admits 25 students every year, graduating them in Bachelor of Physiotherapy. The students are admitted through open-window counselling by Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education. The college of physiotherapy has a Students Association which is active from the year 1990. The association has organised several conferences and CMEs. Physiofest is the College's biggest event.
Till now, the college association has organized five Physiofest from its inception from 1993, the latest of which held in the year 2006. On 14 December 2013 the college had established its Alumni Association and celebrated it as Alumni Foundation Day(AFD) in a grand manner by gathering more than 250 old students at a time. AFD was sumptuously organised by Alumni working committee and Student Alumni coordinators.
The college of Physiotherapy has an active Rotaract Club that is part of RI Dist 3230. The Rotaract club of GCP has organized several projects under various avenues like community service, club service, International service, pulse-polio immunization and vocational service. Karuna Vidya is one of the ongoing projects of the club organized in association with the parent club where Rotaractors and volunteers help visually challenged individuals in their academics. Some of the biggest events of the club include Dreamz Unlimited I, Dreamz Unlimited II & Village. Dreamz Unlimited season I was a one-day sports event for the specially challenged from various homes in Chennai. Dreamz Unlimited season II was a mass 3-dose Hepatitis-B Immunization programme for about 1000 orphans in the homes in and around Chennai. Village was the project where the club adapted a village near Singaperumal Koil and helped in the development of the village. Rotaract Club of Government College of Physiotherapy have emerged Victorious in launching the project THALAIMURAI Completing about 56 projects in 8 hours on 18 March 2012..It received tremendous healthy responses from the Public for its reasonable objectives.It was held within the premises of Government College of Physiotherapy.K.K.Nagar. It won the best outstanding community service award from RI Dist 3230 for the year 2011-2012.
Artificial Limb Center
ALC (artificial limb center)is a pioneer center in Asia which was funded by world bank in the early 80's. ALC has an identity of developing its own foot piece in the LE prosthesis named as "MADRAS FOOT".
Rehabilitation hospital
Here , patients are referred from peripheral areas of tamil nadu for Rehabilitation. They are assessed by the team of Physiatrists (PMR Doctors) .They prescribe suitable rehab programmes for various disabilities individually and are referred to variety of rehabilitation facilities including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychological counselling, Vocational counselling and training, orthotics, prosthetics and a lot more.During their stay, patients are reviewed periodically for improvement, by the Physiatrist Doctors with team members of rehabilitation. Most of these services are given at subsidised rates to the needy people,and free of cost to most of them.School of Prosthetics & Orthotics
School of Prosthetics & Orthotics trains students in designing and making customized orthotics and prosthetics for the patients depending upon their needs.
Walking School
WAlKING SCHOOL is one of the master piece of GIRM, Chennai. The approach followed in prosthetic rehabilitation here is more similar to the ROEHAMPTON approach. MAY- the author of MAY's approach of prosthetic rehab has once visited this walking school. Though there are a lot of technical advancement such as GAIT labs using optoelectronic camera systems, CADCAM devices, etc., the walking training given here is a primitive approach used in evaluation and rehabilitation. This school witnesses all levels of amputation from pediatric to geriatric age. Any student graduating from GIRM do have the opportunity to master prosthetic rehabilitation.