Nagpur: Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Nagpur, is mulling over upgrading its trauma care centre. This centre is facing a huge influx of patients. The Trauma Care Centre, started with 70-bed capacity, now has 120 beds. The centre’s utility was proven during COVID-19 pandemic.
The Trauma Care Centre at the GMCH has witnessed an alarming rise in patients, hospital admissions, and mortality rate over the last five years from 2019 to 2023. According to official figures, the Outpatient Department (OPD) cases surged from 4,274 in 2019 to a staggering 15,553 in 2023, a nearly fourfold increase.
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This rise is mirrored by a substantial increase in Inpatient Department (IPD) admissions, from 2,551 in 2019 to 3,894 in 2023. However, the most troubling aspect is the increase in the number of deaths, which climbed from 410 in 2019 to 1,162 in 2023.
Keeping in mind the flurry of road accidents, the Trauma Care Centre was planned at GMCH in 2012. Finally, it started functioning when the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated it. The Centre has currently 120 beds, a state-of-the art operation theatre, three ICU wards and one general ward.
According to Dean Dr Raj Gajbhiye, this centre is witnessing patient flow beyond capacity leading to the staff getting overburdened. Our staff is good enough to handle it, but the number of beds we have are falling short against the flow of the patients. To find the solution, we have planned its upgrade. We want to raise one more floor in the existing centre. Raising one floor will give a boost to the centre, said Dr Raj Gajbhiye
The year 2020 saw a sharp decline in both OPD and IPD figures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with OPD numbers dropping to 1,155 and IPD cases to 696. However, there was an exponential surge in cases post-pandemic.
A deeper analysis reveals that while trauma cases increased, so did the percentage of deaths compared to the overall patient numbers. In 2019, the mortality rate stood at approximately 9.5% when comparing deaths to the total OPD numbers. By 2023, this figure rose to around 7.4%, but the absolute number of deaths saw a marked increase.
Patients from Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital too are sent to GMCH Trauma Centre. The emergency patients are getting speedy treatments mainly due to Interventional Radiology, CT Scan, X-Ray, Sonography, MRI and other necessary facilities available under one roof.
The ground floor has a Casualty Department, Radiology, and operation theatre. Two operation theatres, one surgical ICU Ward and drug store are on the first floor while the second floor has two ICU wards and one general ward. It has a blood bank, Physiotherapy unit, male and female wards. With Skywalk in place, shifting of patients from Casualty to Trauma Centre has become easy.
