Surgical Department

The surgery department at Choctaw Memorial Hospital has a staff with thirty-seven years of combined experience. Including our surgeons and one Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, our team consists of three Registered Nurses and three Operating Room Technicians. We all live in the local area and are familiar with most of the faces we see come through our department. We all take great pride in our professions and strive to make each of our patients feel that they are in the best hands before, during, and after their procedures. We work closely with local physicians to ensure continuity of care with our patients regarding any pre-existing health issues. Our staff routinely undergoes continuing education classes on a wide range of patient care-related topics, including education for proper cleaning and sterilization of instruments, for following proper procedure protocol, and for following AORN (Association of periOperative Registered Nurses) Guidelines. Our physicians are diligent in their follow-up care regarding any pathology results to ensure that no diagnosis goes undetected.

Physicians who work in the surgery department are D. GVN Murty, Dr. George Queja, and Dr. Ted Rowland. Dr. Murty performs minor outpatient surgical procedures and endoscopic procedures. Dr. Queja is our General Surgeon and performs many major surgical procedures as well as performing endoscopy procedures. Dr. Ted Rowland does bone marrow biopsies when needed in our surgery department. Our surgeon, CRNA, one RN and one ORT are on call 24 hours a day, five to seven days a week. We are proud of our state-of-the-art equipment that includes our new endoscopic equipment, laparoscopic equipment, and surgery bed, all purchased through funds available from sales tax money set aside for our capitol improvements for the hospital. Many people are not aware of the wide range of procedures that can be performed at Choctaw Memorial Hospital. Procedures as minor as removal of skin lesions and ingrown toenails, to endoscopic procedures such as EGD (Esophageal Gastric Disease) and Colonoscopy, to more advanced procedures such as laparoscopic gallbladder removal, hysterectomy, bowel resections, and appendectomies are a few of the surgical procedures we can perform.

Any time a procedure is required, however “minor” it is considered, the importance of having it done should never be considered “minor”. A small skin lesion, such as a mole, may not be as innocent-looking as it first appears. For that reason, any tissue removed during a procedure is sent to a laboratory for testing to ensure that there are no abnormal cells. A colonoscopy can be a life-saving procedure. Anyone over the age of 50 should have a colonoscopy to screen out the presence of polyps since, if not treated, can result in blockage of the bowel or cancer. Most procedures can be done on an outpatient basis with no hospital stay required, or a minimum of one to two days’ hospitalization stay for more advanced procedures. Our team of surgical professionals and physicians at Choctaw Memorial Hospital are here to monitor your post-op progress. We stand ready, willing, and able to serve our community with the utmost capability, professionalism, and compassion in healthcare close to home. For more information about the Surgery Department, please call (580) 317-9500.