PATNA: The health department has planned to develop two new
trauma centres in the state capital. The state’s lone trauma centre at Bikram in Patna district is also likely to be upgraded.
Of the two new proposed centres, one will be built at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) and another at Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital in Rajbanshi Nagar.
Following directives from health minister Mangal Pandey, a team of officials from IGIMS, headed by the hospital’s director Dr N R Biswas, visited the trauma centre at Bikram on Sunday.
“For some unavoidable reasons, the trauma centre at Bikram remained non-functional for the last eight years. After its upgradation, the trauma centre will be monitored by IGIMS hospital administration,” Pandey said.
The trauma centre at Bikram was set up during the tenure of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002. It was supposed to have a full range of specialists – surgical as well as non-surgical – apart from hi-tech equipment. The centre was supposed to offer round-the-clock service to severely injured patients.
IGIMS director Dr Biswas said health services at the trauma centre were extremely poor. “We came across only two to four patients. We will seek help from All India Institute of Medical Sciences-New Delhi doctors to revive the trauma centre. The existing structure of the hospital will be salvaged,” Dr Biswas said. He added the proposed trauma centre at IGIMS would also conduct organ transplantation.
Health minister Pandey said 116 posts had already been sanctioned for the trauma centre to be established on IGIMS campus. “The health department has granted funds to the tune of Rs 50 crore for the trauma centre at Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital,” he said.
Apart from Patna, there are also plans to open a similar facility at Muzaffarpur. “Work is in progress for the proposed trauma centre at Muzaffarpur. If everything goes according to plans, the project will materialise by next year,” Pandey said.
