The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Two trauma care centres proposed karnataka budget

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Friday, Jul 18, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Two trauma care centres proposed karnataka budget

Staff Reporter

They will come up at Victoria, Bowring hospitals
Victoria Hospital gets about 15 trauma cases daily

Bangalore: It will no longer be running from one speciality hospital to another for poor patients who need emergency trauma care in the city.

To make trauma care affordable and available on time under one roof to the urban poor, the State Government has proposed to set up two emergency trauma care units in the Victoria and Bowring and Lady Curzon hospitals in the city.

If the proposal is implemented, these hospitals will have facilities similar to those available in the Sanjay Gandhi Accident Hospital in the city.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, in his budget for 2008-09 on Thursday, has set aside Rs. 25 crore for this purpose.

Although the State-run Victoria Hospital had a 35-bed Emergency and Casualty block, patients with severe head injuries were sent to NIMHANS. In some cases, the golden hour was lost, Hospital Medical Superintendent Balagangadhar Tilak told The Hindu.

Lack of equipment

Dr. Tilak said: “Though we have specialists to treat trauma patients, we do not have the required equipment. We still refer patients to other speciality hospitals after providing them with whatever treatment we can,” he said.

Victoria Hospital, which received at least 15 trauma patients daily, badly needed a comprehensive trauma care unit with all facilities under one roof. That apart, the existing Intensive Care Unit needed to be upgraded, he said.

The hospital authorities had forwarded a proposal in this regard to the Government last year. “But apart from the building and equipment, we need personnel as we are short-staffed. We are not prepared to handle an increased flow of patients during times of calamities and major accidents,” Dr. Tilak said.

The Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, which already has a 170-bed trauma care facility in the new BDA Casualty Block, receives six to eight patients every day.

Ventilators needed

“But we need at least 10 ventilators (each costs over Rs. 10 lakh), trained manpower and improved facilities to make the facility fully-equipped,” Hospital Resident Medical Officer S. Rajanna said.

Dr. Rajanna said that all head and chest injury cases were still referred to NIMHANS and Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology.

The Government proposes to set up a general hospital in Indiranagar to cater to the medical needs of citizens of East Bangalore. The Chief Minister has set aside Rs. 8 crore for this. Although this project was proposed in last year’s budget, it could not be implemented.

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