Photo: Lingaraj Panda

HELP AT HAND: Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Laxmi laying the foundation stone for the trauma care centre in Berhampur on Saturday.

BERHAMPUR: Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Laxmi laid the foundation stone for the first trauma care centre of the State at the MKCG Medical College campus here on Saturday in the presence of Union Minister of State for Rural Development Chadrasekhar Sahu.

Ms Laxmi said the trauma care centre would provide emergency medical services to the accident victims of south Orissa as after completion it would have a five-bed ICU facility along with two extra beds for burn victims. The Union Government had sanctioned Rs. 45 crores to open 7 trauma centers adjacent to highways in the country and for Berhampur centre Rs 1.7 crores was sanctioned, she said.

According to her, the trauma centres had become an extreme need as accident rate per thousand vehicles in India was 35 in comparison to world average of 10.

Mr. Sahu said another trauma centre would be established at Chatrapur. He requested Ms. Laxmi, who was born at Itchapur just 25 kms from Berhampur, to take steps to modernise the facilities at the MKCG Medical College as it was the only referral hospital for people living in south Orissa as well as north Andhra Pradesh.

Ganjam District Collector Sanjay Singh said the concept of road safety volunteers was being introduced for the first time in Orissa in Ganjam district.

One volunteer having cell phone and bike would be chosen for every five kms of national highway, who would help accident victims.

Medical unit

A medical unit would be set up at the inter-state check gate between Andhra and Orissa to provide medical care especially eye check up to the lorry drivers, he said.

Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Patnaik, Gopalpur MLA Trinath Behera and the principal and superintendent of the medical college along with students attended the function.

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