Chennai: Old Mahabalipuram Road to get a trauma care hospital – Times of India

CHENNAI: A 100-bed tertiary hospital for trauma care will be set up in Sholinganallur to cater to the IT corridor on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and other southern suburbs of Chennai city.
Announcing this in the state assembly on Friday, Health minister Ma Subramanian said it will be established under the state government’s Innuyir Kaapom – 48 scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore. While patients requiring trauma care from OMR or East Coast Road (ECR) are taken to Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital or Royapettah Government Hospital at present, the new hospital will cut down the travel time of ambulances.
It takes at least 45 minutes for ambulances to take a patient to these two hospitals. Once opened, patients can be admitted to the Sholinganallur hospital before the passing of golden hour – one hour after the traumatic injury, health secretary J Radhakrishnan said. The facility, officials say, will reduce morbidity and mortality due to accidents.
Chennai is among the cities with a high number of accidents and fatalities in the country. South Chennai alone reports close to 1,000 road crashes every year.
While the state has identified hotspots and increased the number of ambulances, the Tamil Nadu Emergency and Accident Initiative aims at constructing state of the art hospitals to reduce morbidity and mortality. These facilities will also have rehabilitation units that aim to put patients back to routine life, officials said.
The residents welcomed the announcement. “Though there are a handful of private corporate hospitals, VHS Hospital in Taramani is the only place low and middle-income groups can afford,” said G Satish, a resident-activist from OMR. The government shouldn’t take much time to identify suitable land, he said.
The health minister announced a slew of other reforms to boost health infrastructure in the city. This includes establishment of a neuro block and spinal surgery ward at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, a super-specialty tower block at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and a new obstetrics centre at Tondiarpet Hospital.
Additional buildings have been planned at other key health centres like RSRM, and Kasturba Gandhi Women’s Hospital in Triplicane, he said.