Traumatic state of trauma centres in J&K

Pallavi Sareen. Dated: 10/20/2018 2:06:53 PM

JAMMU, Oct 19: Trauma centres! What was supposed to address the need of specialist doctors and surgeons on accident-prone roads of Jammu and Kashmir have become dysfunctional units and a burden on the budget of Health and Medical Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir.
17 trauma centres were sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir by Congress-led UPA government in the year 2012. Of these, shockingly, not even one is fully functional. Besides being dysfunctional, these trauma centres house cows, dogs and at times even buffaloes. The ones which are housed either in the buildings meant for them or rented accommodations are being used more as referral points and less as trauma centres meant to save lives after tragic road accidents.
With Jammu and Kashmir being one of the three states in the country where the total number of accidents per 10,000 vehicles is the highest, the need for trauma centres arises even more. In 2012, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the scheme of “Capacity Building for developing Trauma care Facilities in Government Hospitals on National Highways” with the 11th Plan announced 140 trauma centres to be established and availability of 140 life support fitted ambulances along the National Highways in India.
Four of the major trauma centres established in Ramban, Pattan, Udhampur and Mahanpur in Kathua are completely dysfunctional.
Trauma centre in Ramban:
The building constructed with Rs. 1.84 crore and handed over to Chief Medical officer in 2010 got its Utilization Certificate in 2012. With 12 bed capacity when the need is of 20, one Operation Theatre, one Operation theatre Store, five rooms for doctors, one chemical laboratory, it is being run by two doctors engaged under National Rural Health Mission. With only its ground floor operational, the trauma centre has been dysfunctional for the past eight years. The staff requirement of 25 nurses, 13 orderlies, and five Operation Theatre Technicians along with dozens of surgeons and specialists hasn’t been met yet.
Trauma Centre in Mahanpur, Kathua:
The Trauma Centre in Mahanpur was supposed to be a Level 3 trauma centre having a bed capacity of 100 to 200 beds round the clock Physicians, surgeons, Orthopaedic surgeon and Anaesthetists. Sanctioned in the year 2009-10 by Congress-NC government, the trauma centre does not even have a building. It only has a Primary Healthcare centre where First Aid is given to the patients.
Trauma Centre in Udhampur:
Fully equipped with beds and equipment worth crores, the trauma centre in Udhampur has also been dysfunctional for the past eight years. The trauma centre does not have adequate specialized staff and huge manpower shortage. The operation theatres are also yet to be made operational. Expensive machines that could increase the functioning capacity and efficiency of many hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir sit there idly by with no one to operate them. Only orthopaedic patients are treated in the Trauma centre while the ones with head injuries are referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu. This defeats the entire purpose of establishing trauma centres which was done to provide immediate care to accident victims and reduce the load of hospitals.
Trauma Centre in Pattan:
Fifteen years after the foundation stone of the Trauma Centre in Pattan was laid, accident patients are still dying on the way to the hospitals in Srinagar because the trauma centre is not functional. It was supposed to be a 25-bed trauma centre scheduled to be completed by 2008. The construction work remained on a standstill for a long time up until the building was finally completed. Yet, the trauma centre does not have adequate staff or funds to make it functional.
These trauma centres are in a state of neglect and are not able to achieve the objectives which were the cause of their establishment mainly because of a non-serious approach by the authorities. Traumatic state of Trauma Centres in Jammu and Kashmir speaks volumes about how serious the state government is about addressing the issue of lack of critical care in accident-prone areas.

 

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