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Burdened with patient load, AIIMS-Bathinda cries for dedicated trauma centre
Faculty members at AIIMS, who declined to be named, said that it is surprising that a premier institute like this aimed at catering to over a dozen districts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, has no exclusive medical care facility for patients with trauma injuries
The 30-bed emergency ward of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Bathinda is struggling to cope with patients’ influx and is in dire need of a dedicated trauma centre, officials said. As per the administration of this central institute, on average the doctors are attending 60 trauma patients daily.
An emergency or causality department is where patients come with emergency illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening, while a trauma centre is mandated to provide 24-hour definitive care support to victims through specialities of orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, anaesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.
Faculty members at AIIMS, who declined to be named, said that it is surprising that a premier institute like this aimed at catering to over a dozen districts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, has no exclusive medical care facility for patients with trauma injuries.
“Even the existing emergency bed capacity needs to be increased,” a senior doctor said, on the condition of anonymity.
Many senior functionaries at the institute said that the lack of support from the Punjab government, since its inauguration in December 2019, has hit the expansion of the premier healthcare facility in the region.
“Former Union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal raised the issue of opening a trauma centre but it has failed to yield any result. The previous Congress government had no interest in the mega healthcare project as the party considered it a pet initiative of the Akali leadership in their stronghold. No minister or elected representative from the previous Congress government visited the AIIMS when the institute was being built. Even the current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has not shown much interest in the expansion of the institute,” said a senior faculty member at AIIMS.
Another senior doctor said the Punjab government may initiate a collaborative step with AIIMS to start a trauma centre at the Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital or at some other place.
“There are two operation theatres (OTs) at the emergency ward at AIIMS and only one is functional. The institute has 14 other OTs on campus for surgeries at different departments. Due to a threat of high infection from the injuries of trauma or emergency patients, the general OTs are not used to handle trauma or emergency cases, and that’s why a dedicated trauma facility is required,” said an expert.
AIIMS executive director Dr DK Singh admitted to the need for a trauma centre.
“Patients are visiting AIIMS from parts of Punjab and adjoining districts of Haryana and Rajasthan. There is no other public sector facility offering healthcare services for trauma injuries, and this Bathinda-based centre is definitely in dire need of a trauma facility. We have taken it up with the Central authorities, and the Union government has to take a call on a trauma centre,” he added.
