Govt to install 400 trauma centers on highways

April 1: Indian government is planning to set up more than 400 trauma centres, with interlinking facilities on important highways in the country. According to the officials from Health and Family Affairs (Union Ministry), the centres will be provided on national highways and in collaboration with private hospitals, following the National Health Policy-2002. Central government has passed the orders to look for the safe grounds and estimate the total project cost. Of the total cost, 70 per cent will be provided by the government and the rest will be provided by the assistance from private hospitals.

The official sources further revealed that road accidents is the third major cause for deaths between age group five to forty five. The injuries, as consequences of road accidents, is a leading cause of burden of disease. The accidents are also the third leading cause that yields to physical disabilities and break the economic backbone of many Indian families. To prevent deaths due to accidents, central government has decided to establish a series of trauma centres and mobile hospitals in the form of ambulances.

The trauma centres will render services as small hospitals and will primarily house four departments including emergency, orthopaedic, general unit and neurosurgery department equipped with radiology equipments. The operation theatres will be all available, 24 hours a day and through out the year.

The mobile hospitals or ambulances will be equipped with full fledged facilities to cure patients or people who get injured by road accidents. The services is believed to be one good way of dealing with traumatic deaths as patients and sufferers die due to the lack of proper treatment within an hour of the injury.

Several state governments like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have already initiated this process and are looking forward to minimize any undue consequence.