Govt considering creation of dedicated facilities for accident victims

More Trauma Centres after availability of specialist docs

Options being explored to meet requirement of Neurosurgeons

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Sept 27: Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is seriously considering creation of dedicated facilities in the existing hospitals particularly at the district level besides strengthening the already established Trauma Centres so as to provide timely and modern facilities to the accident victims during the crucial hours.
In a high-level meeting on road safety held on December 22, 2021, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, while taking serious note of regular road accidents, had asked the Health Department to explore the possibility of developing more Trauma Centres near accident-prone highways to help accident victims during the crucial hours.
Following the instructions of the Lieutenant Governor, detailed discussion was held in the Health Department on increasing the number of Trauma Centres from existing eight in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding during the deliberations it came to the fore that opening more Trauma Centres strictly as per the guidelines of the Government of India is not possible at present because of several reasons.
“There is acute shortage of Neurosurgeons and Radiologists particularly in Jammu province and posting of these specialists in each Trauma Centre is imperative in the light of the guidelines of the Government of India”, they said. Moreover, each Level-2 Trauma Centre must have at least 100 manpower while as the same for Level 3 Trauma Hospital has been fixed at around 73 in the guidelines of the Government of India but at present posting such a manpower even in the existing Trauma Centres is not practically possible because of shortage of doctors particularly specialists.
Notwithstanding these constraints, the Government doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned to provide best possible treatment to the accident victims as such Health Department is seriously considering creation of dedicated facilities in the existing hospitals along the Lakhanpur-Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, sources informed.
They disclosed that Health Department is planning to establish dedicated Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with all the facilities as per the guidelines of the Government of India especially for the treatment of accident victims at District Hospital Kathua.
“With the coming up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Vijaypur there will not be necessity of creating any more Trauma Centre up to winter capital where all facilities for treatment of accident victims are already available in Government Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital”, sources said.
Further, the Health Department is seriously pondering over creating dedicated ICU for accident victims in District Hospital Udhampur and District Hospital Ramban where existing manpower can easily be utilized for their treatment. Likewise, such facilities will be made available in Rajouri-Poonch so that timely treatment is provided to the accident victims.
“Even all out efforts will be made to meet the manpower requirement of existing Trauma Centres and install more equipments, if required”, sources further informed, adding “Health Department is of the opinion that instead of creating infrastructure exclusively for the treatment of accident victims in scattered manner it is better to strengthen the existing set-up and this will not put burden of arranging more manpower”.
Regarding specialist doctors particularly Neurosurgeons, sources said, “the Health Department is holding deliberations on different options and hopefully within next few months some positive development will take place in this regard”, adding “notwithstanding all this, the Government has not shelved the idea of opening more Trauma Centres by availing the assistance from the Government of India and such centres will be established in the required areas after the availability of specialized doctors in required number”.
“As desired by the Lieutenant Governor, no stone will be left unturned by the Health Department to ensure that accident victims get proper and timely treatment in the crucial hours so as to save their lives”, sources added.