In view of India registering about 1.5 lakh road accident deaths annually, the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya has been asked to restore normal trauma services at the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre (JPNAT), part of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the National Capital Delhi, sources said here on Monday.

The Jai Prakash Apex Trauma Centre (JPNAT) was turned into a Covid facility during March 2020 and the trauma services were shifted to the main AIIMS Hospital with a make-shift Trauma Emergency Department (ground floor of Old RAK opd block) and the In-patient beds were reduced to less than half of the original strength.

“With number of Covid cases going down considerably in the country it is high time the emergency services at the JPNAT should be fully restored as a fully functional Level – I Trauma Centre meant for highest level of Holistic Trauma Care which requires multiple specialties under one roof so as to provide timely and high class, coordinated multispecialty care so that precious lives and limbs could be saved.” said Mr K K Kapila, president emeritus, International Road Federation (IRF) a global road safety body working for better & safer roads worldwide, in his letter to the Union Health Minister.

“India accounts for about 1.5 lakh road accident deaths per year, the highest in the world with more than 4.25 lakh Injuries annually, most of them are in the young age group of 18-40 years, therefore tremendous loss of productive years of lives lost. Besides, trauma causes are very high in-hospital mortality (15-30%) as well as irreparable disabilities to the victim,” he said. It is a leading cause of Disability Adjusted life years (DALY’s) lost in India, he added.

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Trauma Care is acute and critical care and the results are time dependent and any loss of time during the In-hospital care leads to death disability,” Mr Kapila said.

“JPN Apex Trauma Centre within 3-5 years has attained a world-class Level, receiving an annual foot fall of 70-80,000 (only injured patients), and providing 24×7 quality patient care to the injured,” he said.

The Centre also caters to complicated trauma victims referred from other hospitals, patients from Central Armed Police forces injured in action, patients of mass and multiple casualty incidents.