BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to empanel seven more hospitals having Level-I trauma care facilities to provide free treatment to road accident victims within 48 hours. The hospitals to be empanelled are Sunshine hospital, Care hospital and Blue Wheel hospital at Bhubaneswar, Padmini Care (DRIEMS) at Tangi, Sashi Bhusan Memorial Hospital, Sun Hospital and Trisha Hospital in Cuttack.
With this, the number of private hospitals providing free trauma care to road accident victims will be 18. Earlier, 11 hospitals in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were empanelled. Apart from the private hospitals, 33 trauma care facilities (TCFs) have been set up by the state at district level of which three are Level-I type, four are Level-II type and rest 26 are Level-III type.
Health Secretary Shalini Pandit said a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been formulated for people availing trauma care, which is basically aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents. “There are many who succumb to injuries on failing to get treatment on time. The MoU with the private hospitals to be added will be signed soon. As all the hospitals have Level-I trauma care facility, this will be of immense help to the trauma victims, she added.
As per the SOP, patients suffering from trauma due to road accident will only be covered under the scheme and trauma due to any other reason will not be entertained. The trauma patients will be picked up by any private or public ambulance or Good Samaritan and taken to the nearest trauma care center, (government or private). The transportation cost will be reimbursed. After 48 hours, the person concerned will have to bear the treatment cost if there is no insurance coverage. Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) beneficiaries can avail the coverage as per the guideline.
Trauma victims can now avail 48 hours free treatment at 10 corporate hospitals in Bhubaneswar, five in Cuttack and one each in Rourkela, Vishakhapatnam and Raipur. The state government has also launched the Free Treatment for Trauma Fund (FTTF) scheme and made a budgetary provision of Rs 147.2 crore for five years.