Mr Ramkishan Balakumar

Mr Ramkishan Balakumar is a Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon providing care for adults and children across Swindon and Wiltshire. He is a Consultant at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where he serves as Paediatric ENT Lead and Facial Plastics Lead.

Mr Balakumar graduated from the University of Manchester in 2011 and completed higher surgical training in the Severn Deanery. He has worked in ENT practice since 2014 and gained extensive experience in both adult and paediatric ENT. During his training, he worked at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, managing elective and emergency paediatric ENT conditions, including complex airway disorders.

His clinical interests include paediatric ENT, nasal obstruction, chronic sinusitis, septal deviation, hearing loss, tinnitus, balance disorders, throat and voice disorders, swallowing concerns, glue ear, recurrent tonsillitis, snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea, and paediatric airway conditions. He also has particular expertise in facial skin cancer surgery, including excision and reconstruction. He has performed more than 200 facial skin cancer excisions and reconstructions, particularly in high-risk and cosmetically sensitive areas of the face and neck.

Mr Balakumar is a core member of the regional Skin Cancer Multidisciplinary Team and the South-West Paediatric ENT Network. He works closely with colleagues across a range of specialties, including dermatology, oncology, paediatrics, anaesthetics, and speech and language therapy. He is also involved in regional training in emergency paediatric airway management.

Alongside his clinical work, Mr Balakumar has a strong interest in surgical education and research. He has authored 17 peer-reviewed publications in otolaryngology, with research interests including rhinology, paediatric ENT, functional nasal surgery, simulation training, and artificial intelligence in ENT education. He serves as a reviewer for Clinical Otolaryngology and InnovAiT, is Course Director of the South West Rhinology and Facial Plastics Cadaveric Dissection Course, and founded the national Intermediate Surgical Skills for ENT programme.

Mr Balakumar is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a member of ENT UK, the British Rhinological Society, and the British Society of Facial Plastic Surgery. He speaks English and Tamil.