Chandigarh to get a new Emergency and Trauma Centre at GMCH-32
The situation is even more serious at GMCH-32, where there are just 50 emergency beds, but about 120 patients are admitted every day. This shows that the healthcare system is overburdened and handling two to three times more patients than its actual capacity. Due to a lack of space, patients often have to be treated on stretchers or wait in corridors.
To enhance healthcare, which will benefit not just Chandigarh, but also surrounding areas, the new Emergency-cum-Trauma Centre at GMCH-32 will finally open doors to patients. Delayed due to Covid, the centre will be inaugurated on July 28. The new block is expected to bring a major transformation in trauma and emergency services. As of now, the combined emergency and trauma capacity in all three hospitals is about 320 beds, but patient load remains two to three times higher on most days.
The newly constructed 283-bed Emergency-cum-Trauma Block at GMCH-32 is ready and will further strengthen Chandigarh's healthcare services. This state-of-the-art building includes everything needed in a modern trauma centre, an ICU for critical patients, separate wards for stable cases, isolation units for infectious diseases, and a separate ambulatory care unit for patients who can move around. The effort of the centre is to ensure timely treatment for trauma patients, reduce overload on existing emergency units, improve patient recovery and care, and better coordinate medical staff and resources.
To speed up and improve diagnosis, the facility includes digital X-ray, CT scan, MRI, and clinical laboratories. For emergency surgeries, there are two major operation theatres and one minor OT, along with a post-operative ward. A two-level basement parking lot has also been built, which can accommodate 60 cars and 144 two-wheelers. All these facilities are designed to ensure that patients receive the right treatment within the crucial 'golden hour.'
The foundation stone of this trauma block was laid in 2019, but the COVID pandemic severely affected the construction process. Work slowed down for nearly two years, and deadlines had to be pushed multiple times. Now, the much-awaited project is complete. Built at a cost of ?42.65 crore, the centre is expected to become fully operational in the first quarter of the upcoming financial year.
The inauguration is scheduled for July 28, and GMCH has already started the process of recruiting required faculty and paramedical staff so that services can begin smoothly. It is expected that the new centre will ease the burden on PGI and GMSH-16 and provide better care to emergency patients.
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