A trauma centre set up in Lucknow’s Jankipuram extension to save lives is itself in critical condition, understaffed, under-resourced, and unable to deliver the specialised care it was built to provide.
The Jankipuram Trauma Centre, a 20-bed facility established in 2023 to treat life-threatening injuries, has only three staff nurses against 15 sanctioned posts. Not a single operation theatre (OT) technician has been posted in three years, despite four positions being approved. The centre also has no neurosurgeon, a glaring gap for a unit designed to handle accident cases.
The emergency medical officer is doubling as a general physician, attending to outpatient department (OPD) patients alongside trauma cases. Unskilled employees are handling computer operations and paperwork due to the absence of a dedicated operator and clerk. A pharmacist sourced from the CMO’s office fills in without a permanent appointment.
Hospital staff, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the centre also lacks a C-arm machine, a mobile X-ray imaging device essential for real-time imaging during surgical, orthopaedic, cardiac, and emergency procedures.
A visit by Hindustan Times on Tuesday found expired fire extinguishers and no generator backup. Some operations are reportedly carried out on inverter power. The centre also lacks a radiologist, another critical absence given its focus on accident victims.
{{/usCountry}}A visit by Hindustan Times on Tuesday found expired fire extinguishers and no generator backup. Some operations are reportedly carried out on inverter power. The centre also lacks a radiologist, another critical absence given its focus on accident victims.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Munish Kumar, the centre’s in-charge, acknowledged the shortages and said proposals for additional manpower and resources have been submitted. The OPD handles around 250 patients daily, climbing to 400 in summer, with about 20 emergency cases each day.
The consequences for accident victims are stark. A person severely injured near the Jankipuram extension can only receive first aid here and must then be transported to King George’s Medical University (KGMU) trauma centre, 10 km away, or to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS), 12 km away.