Dr. James Zachariah Pulimuttil

Dr. James Zachariah Pulimuttil is a highly experienced General, Laparoscopic, and Bariatric Surgeon in Dubai with more than three decades of surgical practice. He graduated from Andhra Medical College, Vizag, in 1984 and later completed his MS in General Surgery from Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, in 1992. Early in his career, he served at the Christian Medical Colleges in Vellore and Ludhiana and was selected as a faculty member at CMCH Ludhiana, where he trained future surgeons.

He later held senior roles in India, including Head of General and Laparoscopic Surgery at CARE Hospital, where he established and led the department for six years. In 2010, he became a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and he continued to build his expertise through fellowships and specialized training in trauma care, GI endoscopy, colorectal surgery, and bariatric/metabolic surgery. He moved to Dubai in 2014 and worked for over a decade at Zulekha Hospital Dubai, where he also served as Head of the Department of General and Laparoscopic Surgery and Chairman of the Drugs and Therapeutic Committee, before being listed at Medcare Royal Specialty Hospital.

Dr. James has advanced expertise in bariatric surgery, metabolic surgery, advanced laparoscopic surgery, hernia surgery, thyroid surgery, colorectal surgery, emergency abdominal surgery, and high-risk multidisciplinary cases. His official profile also highlights that he is skilled in sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic gastric bypass, mini gastric bypass, revision bariatric surgery, and endobariatric procedures.

• MBBS – Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam (1984)
• MS (General Surgery) – Christian Medical College, Ludhiana (1992)
• FICS (Fellow of the International College of Surgeons)
• FACRSI (Fellow of the Association of Colon & Rectal Surgeons of India)
• FAIS (Fellow of the Association of Surgeons of India)
• ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) Certified
• Training in GI Endoscopy
• Endobariatric Training – MOHAK Bariatrics
• Advanced Endobariatric Full Thickness Suturing Training – Tel Aviv

• Gall bladder stone disease with and without jaundice
• Acute appendicitis and acute abdominal conditions
• Gastro-esophageal reflux disease
• Morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome
• Uncontrolled diabetes with obesity
• Thyroid swellings, including thyroid cancer
• Inguinal, femoral, and umbilical hernias, including complex and rare hernias
• Breast lumps, including cancer, and inflammatory breast conditions
• Hemorrhoids, anal fistula, and fissures
• Blunt and penetrating abdominal trauma
• Colon and rectal cancers
• Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis require surgical management

• Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Gastric Bypass
• Mini Gastric Bypass
• Revision Bariatric Surgery
• Lap Gastric Banding
• Laparoscopic Gall Bladder Removal / Cholecystectomy
• Appendectomy
• Inguinal Hernia Repair
• Laparoscopic Hernia Repair
• Hemicolectomy
• Whipple’s Procedure
• Colorectal Surgery
• Thyroid Surgery
• Endobariatric procedures, including endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty-related training exposure

• American College of Surgeons (ACS)
• International College of Surgeons (ICS)
• Association of Surgeons of India (ASI)
• Association of Colon and Rectal Surgeons of India (ACRSI)
• Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI)
• International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO)
• Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)
• Emirates Medical Association (EMA)
• Emirates Society of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ESMBS)
• Asia Pacific Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery Society (APMBSS)

• Outstanding International Bariatric Fellow Award (Taiwan - 2015): Awarded internationally by the Asia Pacific Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center (APMBSC) at Min-Sheng Hospital, Taiwan, for demonstrating absolute milestone excellence in clinical performance and breakthrough research in metabolic surgery.
• Prolific Scientific Educator Designation: Contributed significantly to global weight-loss surgery literature, authoring original clinical trials and research papers in high-impact indexed international bariatric journals (including Obesity Surgery), tracking long-term resolution metrics of comorbidities, accumulating over 140+ global citations.