New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) Concerned over the spiralling number of road accidents, the government is to set up trauma centres along National Highways across the country at a cost of Rs.7.32 billion to enable accident victims get immediate medical attention.
The union cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cleared two major health related proposals to spread wide the network of health care.
In the first instance, “the CCEA approved establishment of an integrated network of trauma centres along the Golden Quadrilateral, North-South and East-West Corridors, of the National Highways by creating trauma care facilities in 140 identified state government hospitals,” said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.
He said the proposals entailed setting up 20 Level-I trauma centres and 40 Level-II similar centres as also 80 Level-III centres at a total cost of Rs.7.32 billion during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2007-12).
Chidambaram said: “The setting up of integrated network of Trauma Centres along the Golden Quadrilateral will ensure that each accident victim on these corridors is able to get competent medical assistance within the shortest possible time, thereby saving precious lives.”
“These centres will be equipped with ambulances, blood banks and burns departments to handle cases of all kinds of injuries, including burn injuries,” said the minister.
Simultaneously, “the cabinet also approved extending the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) to the uniformed Coast Guard pensioners as well as retired personnel of Defence Security Corps (DSC) who left the Army service pre-maturely without earning any pension but joined DSC later and are in receipt of pension by virtue of their service in DSC,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.
He said: “The decision will benefit the uniformed Coast Guard pensioners and retired Defence Security Corps personnel, who are in receipt of pension by virtue of their service in DSC in getting medical care after retirement which is not available to them so far.”
According to the shipping and road transport ministry figures, 96,000 people were killed in road accidents across the country 2005.
The present government has more than doubled the allocation in health and family welfare from Rs.76.2 billion to Rs.175 billion.