Date:17/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/17/stories/2006121718380300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Centre planning to upgrade trauma centres near highways

Staff Reporter

Union Ministry of Surface Transport and Health Ministry are working on it

WELL DONE: Medal winners greeting each other at the 11th convocation of NIMHANS in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore: The Union Government planned to formulate a national holistic trauma care programme to upgrade casualty and emergency services in the country, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss said here on Saturday.

The Union Ministry of Surface Transport and the Health Ministry were jointly chalking out a plan to upgrade trauma centres near all national highways and to improve the existing infrastructure at the trauma centres. "Under this plan, for every five km there will be a telephone booth, for every 50 km there will be an ambulance available, for every 100 km there will be a trauma centre and for every 300 km a speciality trauma care facility will be provided," he said.

Speaking at the 11th convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), after inaugurating the Gamma Knife and Biosafety Level 3 (P3) Laboratory facilities at the institute, Dr. Ramadoss said NIMHANS had been asked to revamp the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) so that it could be effectively implemented in more than 600 districts across the country with a budgetary outlay of more than Rs.1,000 crore during the 11th Plan period.

"Nearly 10 per cent of our population is in need of some mental or neurological care. But there is a huge treatment gap in adequate management of severe mental disorders as there are no trained mental health personnel in many district headquarters. We will have orientation for doctors in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) so that they have basic knowledge to deal with patients with minor psychiatric problems," Dr. Ramadoss said.

Asked whether the Government would bring in legislation to ban aerated drinks, Dr. Ramadoss said it could not be done through legislation.

"We want to spread awareness that junk food and drinks and sedentary lifestyle can lead to health hazards. I have sent advisories to Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of all States so that aerated drinks are avoided in educational institutions," he said.

Diabetes, cardiac disease and mental problems were the major health concerns India had to look out for, he added.

Health education

Dr. Ramadoss said that he had recommended to the Ministry of Human Resources Development to make health education mandatory in schools. "We are in initial talks with the HRD Ministry to introduce health education in the curriculum through bi-weekly classes and topics such as hygiene, personal health, food habits, exercise, yoga and HIV/AIDS, population will be dealt with," he said.

Disease surveillance

Dr. Ramadoss said the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), started in 2004, will be fully implemented in 18 months. This would enhance the surveillance of public health problems and help in accelerated health information reporting system and faster decision-making, especially in the context of epidemics and other health emergencies.

NIMHANS would set up a Centre for Public health, Centre for Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Research centre in future, he added. Delivering the convocation address, K. Kasturirangan, MP and Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, said cognitive sciences and psycho-oncology were emerging as a major area of research and study in the field of neurosciences.

He said that telemedicine could be used to bring healthcare to rural areas.

D. Nagaraja, Director/Vice-Chancellor, NIMHANS said the institute had received Rs.16 crore as research fund from the Centre.

Gamma Knife is a non-invasive high precision technology for treatment of tumours and other malformations of the brain.

Biosafety Level 3 (P3) Laboratory will facilitate handling of dangerous biological agents which pose a threat not only to the lab technician but also the surrounding environment.

The laboratory will undertake work related to dengue and chikungunya viruses.

`Unfortunate'

Mr. Ramadoss said that it was "unfortunate" that doctors at All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are resisting reservation for backward classes, even though the Bill providing 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government-aided institutions was passed in Parliament recently. He was speaking to presspersons after inaugurating the Gamma Knife and the Biosafety Level-3 laboratory at National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) here on Saturday.