Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) The government proposes to set up along national highways a wide network of specialised trauma centres at a total cost of Rs.7.3 billion, the Lok Sabha was informed Wednesday. Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said 596,600 accidental deaths are reported annually along the national highways in the country and 77 percent victims are men.

He said after reviewing an earlier scheme, the ministry planned to rectify the deficiencies and revised it under the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12).

Under the new scheme, instead of stand-alone trauma centres, the ministry proposes to develop a network of trauma centres along the Golden Quadrilateral project stretching over 5,846 km of four- or six-lane express highways connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Also, trauma centres will come up on the north-south and east-west corridors of the national highways.

The approved total cost for the project is Rs.7.3 billion for the 11th Plan.

For 2007-08, Rs.427.3 million were provided for the scheme, of which Rs.271 million have been sanctioned so far, he said.

“We are starting with highways, then we will cover community centres. In three to four years, we will cover the entire country,” he said.

“The revised project envisages the availability of the life support ambulance every 50 km along the national highway. It also provides for three categories of trauma centres,” the minister said.

The three categories would be - L.111, L.11 and L.1.

While L.111 centres would be available every 100-150 km, L.11 centres would be available every 300 km and there would be one L.1 trauma centre in the state that would provide the highest level of definitive and comprehensive care of patients with complex injuries.

“The trauma care network has been so designed that no trauma victim has to be transported over more than 50 km and a designated trauma centre is available at every 100 km,” Ramadoss said.

The health ministry has earmarked Rs.48 million for L.111, Rs.96.5 million for L.11 and Rs.160 million for the last category.

He said such trauma centres would also be set up in six All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like institutions, which are yet to come up. “We are making efforts to upgrade infrastructure facilities in the country to address the problem,” he added.