Trauma Centres being opened on Highways

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing a scheme named "Capacity Building for developing Trauma care Facilities in Government Hospitals on National Highways"

This is being done to bring down preventable deaths because of road accidents to 10 percent by developing a pan-India trauma care network in which no trauma victims has to be transported for more than 50 kilometres and a designated trauma care facility is available at every 100 km on the national highways.

In the 11th Five Year Plan, 140 locations along the Golden Quadrilateral Corridor North-South and East-West Corridor were identified to develop trauma care facilities to provide immediate treatment for accident victims.

Out of these centres, 118 hospitals/Medical Colleges were identified under scheme of Capacity Building for developing Trauma care Facilities in Government Hospitals on National Highways and 20 hospitals/Medical Colleges under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).Remaining two identified hospitals/Medical College were to be developed from their own funding.

Government has taken various steps to ensure proper functioning of the identified trauma centres- They include adoption of 1033 as National Highways Distress Call Number by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH); (ii) Establishment of National Programme Management Unit at the Central level, (iii) Appointment of State Nodal Officer for the Scheme, (iv) Constitution of Core Committee between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and MORTH for better coordination and implementation of the Scheme, (v) Circulation of model MOU to State/UTs, (vi) Preparation and circulation of Operation guidelines, (vii) Constitution of Screening Committee to examine the proposal submitted by the States/UTs and to monitor physical and financial progress made under the Scheme, (viii) Development of schematic design diagram of trauma care facility in consultation with Central Design Bureau, (ix) Consulting of advance trauma life support and basic life support training for doctors and nurses, (x) Revision of requirement of human resource and equipment for trauma care facilities by Technical Resource Group.

Continuation of this scheme in the 12th Five Year Plan has been approved for establishing additional 85 trauma care facilities. Funding pattern is in the ratio of 70:30 for States other than NE and hilly States. Funding would be in the ratio of 90:10 in respect of North Eastern and Hilly States.