PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, June 1: Almost three years down the line, the state’s first state-of-the-art trauma centre at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science is yet to start its full-fledged operation due to a lack of adequate manpower and the absence of a Central air compressor system and Central vacuum system required during surgeries.
As soon as the number of corona patients decreased, it was inspected by RIMS officials on March 1. The officials had also made a public statement that it would be fully started within two to three weeks. Almost 3 months have passed, but it will still take time for the trauma centre to start.
Built for Rs 64 crores, the New Trauma Centre’s Critical care unit is currently undergoing treatment on 15 beds which were started with a capacity of 50 beds in July 2019.
Describing the reason for the decrease in the number of beds in the critical care unit, the Head of Critical Care at RIMS, Dr Pradeep Bhattacharya said that only one or two nurses are available in each shift to manage those 15 beds. As per the rules, every bed should have one nurse in the critical care unit.
On the question of when the full-fledged operation will start at the New Trauma Centre, Deputy Medical Superintendent of RIMS Dr Sailesh Tripathi said, “We are continuously willing to shift the emergency ward and start the full-fledged operation of the New Trauma Centre, but due to the opposition over few points it could not be done. Those points will soon be figured out and full-fledged operation will start.”
However, Dr Pradeep Bhattacharya said that RIMS management is willing to shift the emergency ward to the New Trauma Centre but I have clearly mentioned in the letter that I will not be responsible for the death of any patient due to the non-availability of a Central air compressor system and Central vacuum system.
On the question of how the 15 beds are being operated in the absence of those systems, Dr Pradeep said, “We are using a portable system because of which 15 beds are being operated in the Critical Care Unit.”
On the issue of the non-availability of the adequate number of nurses in the critical care unit, Dr Pradeep said that currently Matron has been made the in-charge of the distribution of nurses who does not even know which department of RIMS has urgency and needs the maximum number of nurses.
In the entire state, only RIMS has a critical care unit of the government. The RIMS administration started the Critical Care Unit by making very good infrastructure and building, but the employees working here were not given attention. Due to non-payment of salary on time, the employees are gradually leaving the work.
An official of the department said that RIMS has a capacity of 2400 patients. Often more than two thousand patients are admitted here. In these, patients with critical conditions are kept in ICUs made in different departments, when the condition is serious, they are sent to the critical care unit.
The New Trauma Center at RIMS is of four floors. Green, yellow and red zones have been created here. According to the critical condition of the patients, there is also a system to admit them to the same zone. Apart from ICU, ventilators, there is also a system for radiology and pathology examination. 160 staff has been requisitioned for all four floors of the new trauma centre. These include 80 nurses and 40-40 ward boys and sweepers.
The New Trauma Centre was inaugurated on 14 July 2019 in the presence of the then Chief Minister Raghuvar Das, Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi and Union Minister of State for Power RK Singh.
