Every year the department celebrates this day as its foundation day. In 1966, an emergency ward with 16 beds, emergency OT and an experimental surgery building were constructed. The Experimental Surgery Unit has its own OT, histopathology, biochemistry and an animal house. The surgical block was further expanded in 1970 with an annexe specialty block of thoracic, plastic and neuro surgery units.

The Department of Surgery has given rise to several newer departments. The present Dental Wing of the college is an offshoot of this department. Similarly, the Departments of ENT and Orthopedics were formed in 1951 and Plastic Surgery in 1977 with Professors RN Mishra, BN Sinha and RN Sharma as founder professors and head. The growing interest in super-specialties led to several distinctive units - Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery (CTVS), Pediatric Surgery, Urology and Surgical Oncology. Of these, the Neurosurgery Unit was the first to be accredited as a separate department in 1994. Later, in 1998, the other units also became independent departments. At present, the departments of Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Urology and CTVS are located in their own buildings while the rest are still in the New Surgical Block along with the Department of Surgery.

In early 2004, the new Surgical Emergency & Trauma centre was commissioned on main Shahmina Road. This unique 50 bedded facility has the entire infrastructure to handle emergency and trauma patients under one roof. This facility is administered and manned by the Department of Surgery.

Activities :
1. The Department was the first in north India to perform open heart surgery, neurosurgery, spinal surgery and plastic surgery. .
2. It provides the major reception to surgical emergencies including medico-legal cases. .
3. The department organises surgical teaching and training of MBBS, BDS and MS students.
4. The department has trained a large number of general, plastic, neuro and cardio-vascular surgeons. The faculty, present and past, as well as the alumni of this department have won laurels for the institution, holding some of the highest offices in their professional organisations.

Facilities :
1. Surgical Emergency & Trauma Centre..
2. The department has 8 operating theatres - 4 in the New Surgical Block, 3 in the Trauma Centre and 1 in the Outpatients' area.
3. Department has 3 auditoria one with a seating capacity of 200 and rest two of 50 each.

Department Output :
The annual indoor admissions are about 4000, and major and minor operations about 2400. The surgical outpatient attendance of new and old cases is approximately 28,000/year.

OPD / Emergency :
The above units perform the out-patient clinics and emergency on a particular day detailed as follows: Local OT in day care OT is available all days on first come first service (9 am to 3 pm).