State to get five accident trauma care centres

 In an effort to provide relief to road accident victims, a total sum of Rs  52.96 crore was allocated under the State budget on Friday to set up trauma care centers at 5 places across Karnataka to provide emergency treatment to accident victims. 

The Aapathbandhava scheme is being launched with assistance from the Central government under the National Health Mission. According to health commissioner P S Vastrad, existing hospitals would be upgraded to be trauma care centres. Additional manpower, drugs and equipment would be set up at these centres.

A total of Rs 5,032 crore has been allocated to the Health and Family Welfare department in the budget.

Health care facilities in the City would also get a boost from the Medical Education department. A gastroenterology Institute is proposed to be set up on the premises of SDSTB Centre in Bengaluru. Minister for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil said that the institute is being planned on lines of the Institute of Nephro-urology in Victoria Hospital.

With a need to focus on non-communicable diseases, a decision has been taken to set up a 25-bed special dialysis unit at KC General Hospital in Bengaluru at an estimated cost of Rs 4.49 crore under the dialysis programme. Besides this, NGOs would be roped in to improve dialysis facilities.

A 50-bed district Ayush Integrated Hospital has been sanctioned in Chikkaballapur, Davangere and 10-bed hospitals would be constructed in Dandeli, Chincholi and T Narsipur at a cost of Rs 6 crore.

Under the Medical Education department, it is proposed that the Kalaburagi Peripheral Cancer Centre is being upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore and the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, Raichur, at Rs 35 crore.

In co-ordination with Labour, Home, Transport and Health and Family Welfare, the State government has proposed to introduce an ‘Accident Life Saver Scheme’ with an allocation of Rs 1 crore to train 12 lakh auto drivers registered under private commercial vehicle driver’s accident insurance scheme in first aid.