Bangalore Rural MP Dr C N Manjunath has urged Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda to accord sanction for establishing a postgraduate institute and a 300-bed polytrauma centre at Nimhans Bengaluru North campus.
Dr Manjunath, along with former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, met the minister on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
He said the polytrauma centre would ensure timely treatment to needy patients at an affordable cost.
“The health minister positively responded to my plea and assured to look into the issue,” Dr Manjunath told reporters later.
He said the outpatient footfall at Nimhans, the country’s premier mental health institution, has increased from 250 patients a day to 2,500 a day now. The hospital is overcrowded and is not able to cope with the load of patients, he explained.
Space constraints
“Road traffic accidents are the fifth leading cause of death in our country. Patients with multiple injuries require immediate treatment in the golden hour. Nearly 13% of deaths are due to road traffic accidents. Because of space constraints and the non-availability of polytrauma services, critical patients are shifted from Nimhans to other hospitals,” he said.
“It is the long-standing desire of the people of Karnataka to have a polytrauma centre at Nimhans North campus in Bengaluru. In this regard, the state government has already allotted 37 acres of land and the proposal has been approved by the governing body. But it has not seen the light for almost 11 years,” he said.
DPR submitted
“The detailed project report (DPR) has also been submitted to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the approximate expenditure will be Rs 498 crore,” he added.
“The proposal is envisaged as the initial stage of starting polytrauma and post-graduate institute. There is always a scope to expand the beds and facilities both horizontally and vertically for the future,” he said in the plea.