As 2022 comes to a close, it seems fitting to celebrate the wonderful career of Dr. Suru Chande. He retired this year, after 51 years of providing care at Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH).
In an interview last year when Dr. Chande received his 50-year long service pin, he described WDMH when he arrived back in November 1971: “There were only two surgeons at WDMH. I worked alongside Dr. Duane Justus in those early years, doing all kinds of surgeries included pediatric care before CHEO opened in Ottawa.” Dr. Chande also remembers his work at the clinics in Iroquois, Morrisburg, and Ingleside. “The Ingleside clinic was close to a local school, so I got occasional calls from the playground or basketball court to deal with a dislocated finger or laceration,” he remembers.
Dr. Chande’s accomplishments – both at WDMH and beyond – are many. He has served in many administrative roles at WDMH. He has taught hundreds of surgical residents, family medicine residents, medical and nursing students –anyone who wanted to learn. He was one of the inaugural board members of the Ontario Association of General Surgeons. He received the Lifetime Membership Award from the Ontario Medical Association in 2016. And he was one of the first surgeons in the region to perform minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery in the early nineties – using equipment funded by the WDMH Auxiliary. Dr. Chande has also been a passionate supporter of WDMH, helping to raise thousands of dollars through events such as an annual golf tournament and several fundraising plays staged by local doctors.
Up until recently, Dr. Chande could still be found in the Operating Room every Friday assisting with surgeries. He also spent two to three days a month in Morrisburg doing consultations and minor procedures. But Dr. Chande says it’s now time to spend time with his family and enjoy a well-deserved retirement.
“Things won’t be the same without Dr. Chande walking down the hall at WDMH,” notes Chief of Staff Dr. Brian Devin. “He has been much more than a colleague. He has been a mentor and teacher to many. We want to thank him for his decades of dedication to the patients and families we serve.”
Dr. Chande says he will miss his colleagues and his patients. “We always had terrific support from the CEO and the Board, the Operating Room team, everyone at WDMH, and my partners at the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic,” he says.
Congratulations Dr. Chande!
If you would like to provide comments or suggestions about hospital services, please contact Cholly Boland, President and CEO, WDMH at 613.774.1049 or by email at cboland@wdmh.on.ca.
Cutline: Dr. Suru Chande received his 50-year pin last year.
Cutline: Dr. Suru teaching nursing students in 2016.
