Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine

The School of Physiotherapy was started by Professor Vittal Rao, who was trained in the United Kingdom. The programme started as a one-year training, where the nurses were recruited to learn physical therapy. Later it was upgraded to a two-and-a-half-year diploma program. In 1981 it was further upgraded to a degree programme of three and a half years. It ultimately attained its current four-and-a-half year curriculum in 1998. College of Physiotherapy, Chennai was affiliated to the University of Madras until the early 90s and later to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, which it remains until the present. Every year this college admits 25 students who graduate as Bachelors of Physiotherapy. The students are admitted through open-window counseling by the Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education. The College of Physiotherapy has a student association, which has been active since 1990. The association has organized several conferences and CMEs. Physiofest is the college's biggest event.

The student association organized five Physiofests between 1993 and 2006. On 14 December 2013, the college established its alumni association and celebrated it as Alumni Foundation Day by gathering more than 250 former students. The event was organized by the 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 different projects, such as community service, club service, international service, pulse-polio immunization, and vocational service. Karuna Vidya is one of the club's ongoing projects 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 and Village. Dreamz Unlimited I was a one-day sports event designed for the specially challenged from various homes in Chennai. Dreamz Unlimited 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 assisted with its development.

Rotaract Club of Government College of Physiotherapy successfully launched the project Thalamurai, completing 56 projects in eight hours on 18 March 2012. It received tremendous positive responses from the public. It was held within the premises of the Government College of Physiotherapy. It won the best outstanding community service award from RI Dist 3230 for 2011-2012.

The Artificial Limb Center (ALC) is a pioneer center in Asia which was funded by the World Bank in 1947. It has been assisting soldiers of the Indian Army and has had trainee doctors visiting from the United Kingdom. The center initially made prosthetics for soldiers, but later expanded its facilities and began to provide for civilians as well.[3] ALC has developed its own foot piece in the LE prosthesis called the "MADRAS FOOT."

Patients here are referred from peripheral areas of Tamil Nadu for rehabilitation. They are assessed by the team of physiatrists who prescribe individual rehab programs suitable for various disabilities. They are referred to a variety of rehabilitation-related treatments, including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, psychological counseling, vocational counseling, training, orthotics, prosthetics and others. During their stay, patients' improvement is periodically monitored by doctors, physiatrists, and other rehabilitation team members. Most of these services are provided at subsidized rates to people in need, and free of charge for most of them.

Walking School is a notable facility of GIRM. The approach followed in prosthetic rehabilitation here is similar to the Roehampton approach. There are a lot of technological advancements, such as GAIT labs using optoelectronic camera systems, CADCAM devices, and more.

The walking training provided here is a primitive approach used in evaluation and rehabilitation. This school witnesses all levels of amputation from pediatric to geriatric. Any student graduating from GIRM has the opportunity to master prosthetic rehabilitation