Murukan effect: Government to modify trauma care

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Almost a month after Murukan, a Tirunelveli resident died in an ambulance after being denied treatment in five hospitals including Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, the government has now decided to modify Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for trauma care in government medical college hospitals. Murukan’s tragic death had exposed the pathetic state of casualty medical college emergency departments. At the medical college here, he was refused admission citing non-availability of ventilators. With the government drawing sharp criticism from different corners and the incident even being termed as “institutional murder”, it was forced to constitute a couple of committees to fix responsibility for the death and recommend measures for effective trauma care system.

The high level meeting convened by health secretary Rajeev Sadanandan on September 8, is the first major initiative aimed at modifying  SOP for trauma care and emergency service departments post Murukan incident. The faculty and trauma care specialists of medical college hospitals will attend the brainstorming session. The DME has been asked to invite private hospitals which are keen to contribute to trauma care initiative. “We will discuss the existing SOP in detail, requirements in casualty wings and the changes that are required to be introduced,” Rajeev Sadanandan, additional chief secretary of health, told DC.

On an average 11 persons die and 120 sustain grievous to minor injuries in road accidents in the state daily.  While the fatal accidents have increased manifold, the facilities at these centres continue to remain poor. The trauma care wings of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Manjeri need complete overhaul. The modernisation of Trivandrum medical college on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jayprakash Narayan Trauma Centre has already begun.

On an average 700 to 1000 persons are treated at the casualty wings of these hospitals. Under the modernisation plan, the government intend to introduce all diagnostic facilities including X ray, ultra sound scan, CT Scan, MRI scan under one roof, surgical ICU, medical ICU, operation theatres, pre operative and post operative rooms and observation rooms. In the major medical college hospitals, the government plans to increase the number of operation theatres and attach various specialities including surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, septic operation theatre, surgery procedure room and ortho procedure rooms.