*None have requisite manpower, OTs still not functional
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 15: Shocking it may sound but it is a harsh reality that majority of the Trauma Centres in hilly and mountainous Jammu and Kashmir are in the state of distress and are not achieving the objectives behind their establishment mainly because of non-serious approach towards making them functional in real sense. What to talk of other facilities, these Trauma Centres are even lacking the adequate manpower despite the fact that Governor N N Vohra had issued explicit directions for making them fully operational more than a year back.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that keeping in view spurt in the road traffic accidents particularly in the hilly areas and subsequent requirement of specialized resources to save the lives of people, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the year 2008-09 sanctioned some Trauma Centres for both the provinces of J&K.
Accordingly, 10 Trauma Care Centres were established along highways with 6 in Kashmir division and 4 in Jammu division. In Jammu region, one each Trauma Centre is at Mahanpur in Kathua district, District Hospital Udhampur and District Hospital Ramban. The fourth one, which was sanctioned for Doda district, has yet not come up fully despite lapse of considerable period of time.
The Trauma Centre at Mahanpur is of Level-III category while as those in Udhampur and Ramban are of Level-II category. However, none of them is operational in real sense for want of manpower or other facilities which the Trauma Centres should otherwise have to meet the objectives behind their establishment, sources said.
“As far as Trauma Centre at Mahanpur is concerned, it is not fully functional despite lapse of considerable period of time and it is still lacking the necessary equipments particularly the CT Scan machine”, an official of the Health Department said on the condition of anonymity, adding “even Orthopedic Operation Theatre is yet to be made fully operational”.
Some specialist doctors were posted against six sanctioned posts in this Trauma Centre but within short span of time they went on unauthorized absence and thereafter no fresh posting was made. At present there are only two doctors—one Assistant Surgeon from the Health Department and another engaged under National Health Mission.
“In the absence of adequate number of specialists and functional Operation Theatres what sort of facilities are being provided in this Trauma Centre remains a million dollar question”, sources said while disclosing that as per the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry, the Level-III Trauma Centre should have 24-hour immediate coverage by emergency medicine physicians and the prompt availability of general surgeons and anesthesiologists.
Similarly, the Trauma Centre in the District Hospital Udhampur has yet not become fully operational mainly because of manpower shortage, sources said while disclosing that Operation Theatres are yet to be made operational in this Trauma Centre also.
“There is no Neurosurgeon and Anesthesiologist for the Trauma Centre besides doctors of other specialization and only orthopedic patients are being treated in this centre while as those suffering from head injuries are simply referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu in the absence of specialized doctor of this field”, sources informed.
A senior doctor of the District Hospital Udhampur said, on the condition of anonymity, “the requirement of doctors was projected before the concerned authorities a number of times including in the recent past but we are still waiting for manpower required to make the Trauma Centre fully operational”. He disclosed that even equipment wise this Trauma Centre is not up to the mark.
The Trauma Centre at District Hospital Ramban is also in the state of distress as specialist doctors have yet not been posted there. “There is already deficiency of staff in the main District Hospital and non-posting of doctors for the Trauma Centre is further creating problems in handling the cases of trauma”, a senior doctor of the hospital said, adding “mere having building for the Trauma Centre doesn’t mean that lives of people suffering from trauma can be easily saved. The other requirements have not been taken seriously by the concerned authorities till date”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Level-II Trauma Centre is supposed to provide 24-hour immediate coverage by general surgeons as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.
The non-serious approach towards these Trauma Centers is notwithstanding the fact that Governor N N Vohra had in the month of February last year, while expressing anguish over Trauma Centres on the highways not serving the intended purpose, fixed a deadline for the Health Department for making fully operational all the Trauma Centres in Jammu and Kashmir.
Even in the recently announced draft Road Safety Policy, thrust has been laid on creating a network of Trauma Centres on the National Highways and State Highways. As such, keeping existing Trauma Centres ill-equipped and semi-operational cannot be justified in any way, sources said while stressing that Governor N N Vohra should issue necessary orders to bring out Trauma Centres from the state of distress.
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