SAMBALPUR: “Where has Sambalpur’s Rs 21.28-crore trauma care centre disappeared?” city-based umbrella forum, Pragatisila Nagarik Mancha, on Monday approached the police to find out.
The sharp note emerged during an unusual form of protest against the alleged non-functioning of the facility. The Mancha approached the Town police station with a complaint seeking an investigation into the whereabouts of the centre, its medical personnel and the emergency services promised at its inauguration earlier this year.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had inaugurated the trauma care centre on the premises of Sambalpur district headquarters hospital (DHH) on January 11, 2026.
The complaint was submitted by Progressive Sambalpur convener Sanjit Mohanty, Hind Mazdoor Sabha vice-president Gokul Meher, senior CITU leader Gadadhar Kuanr and social activist Mohammed Sanaula.
The forum sought to know why the centre’s doctors, supporting staff and emergency services were not available to the public. It also wondered whether someone had stolen the operational capacity of the facility or if it had remained confined to its inauguration plaque.
“A trauma care centre cannot function merely with a building and an inauguration ceremony. It requires the availability of qualified medical professionals and supporting staff, including anaesthesiologists, medicine specialists, orthopaedic surgeons, trained technicians and nurses on a 24×7 basis. These professionals are essential for emergency operations, critical care, accident management and saving lives,” the memorandum stated.
The organisation sought clarification from the health department on the whereabouts of the required specialists and supporting staff and specify when the promised 24x7 trauma care services would become operational.
Mohanty said, “The government spent Rs 21.28 crore of public money, raising hopes among people that accident victims and critically ill patients would receive timely treatment. But an inauguration and a plaque cannot save lives.”
The facility was expected to emerge as a crucial emergency healthcare centre for Sambalpur and neighbouring areas. The absence of adequate and specialised work force has led to the facility lying unutilised.
Official sources said, no recruitment has been made yet for the facility.