Centra Southside Community Hospital held a ribbon cutting Tuesday for its new pulmonology office, welcoming the office’s doctor, Dr. Sunil Rajan, to the hospital.

According to Rajan, the office will handle common pulmonary diseases.

“We will perform pulmonary function testing, six-minute walk tests, Bronchoscopy — camera visualization of the inside of the lungs — Thoracentesis, (which is) drainage of fluid around the lungs, and endobronchial ultrasound, (which is) a procedure used to diagnose causes of enlarged lymph nodes in the chest,” Rajan said.

During the ceremony prior to the ribbon cutting, Rajan said he was looking forward to hitting the ground running.

“I wanted to say … that I’ve been in Richmond for several years and I want to thank (Dr. Kwabena Donkor),” Rajan said. “As he mentioned, we’ve been talking for a few years about a potential transition.”

“You are a wonderful person, a fantastic physician,” Rajan said to Donkor. “This community has nothing but thanks for all that you have done. Your legacy will not be forgotten.”

At the ceremony, Centra Southside Community Hospital CEO Tom Angelo cited Donkor’s retirement at the end of the year and said while he was irreplaceable, he felt more confident regarding his retirement with Rajan being at the hospital.

Regarding Donkor, Rajan said he would do everything in his power to “continue the hard work that you have put into this community.”

“I’ve kept having to find ways to explain to my patients how and where they should go since I left the office practice,” Donkor said. “It has been easy … From today, my office manager will find a very easy time just telling them, ‘Just call (Rajan’s) office.’”

Donkor said he thanked Rajan for that.

The pulmonology office opened Tuesday.

Rajan graduated from the Kasturba Medical College/Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India with a bachelor’s degree in medicine and a bachelor’s degree in surgery.

“He completed his fellowship in pulmonary/critical care at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts,” officials said in a press release. “His residency was completed at Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.”

The release cited he recently served as the chief of staff and medical director of critical care and respiratory therapy at Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center and served as a full partner at Pulmonology Associates of Richmond Inc.

To make an appointment with Rajan, call (434) 315-2880.