Telangana launches trauma care policy to reduce road accident deaths

Hyderabad: The health department launched a trauma care policy to strengthen emergency medical response and reduce road accident-related deaths in the state.The policy focuses on improving pre-hospital emergency response during the critical golden hour, particularly the first 15 minutes after an accident, ensuring that patients are transported quickly to the nearest health facility.Citing transport department data, officials said the state accounts for approximately 5% to 7% of national road traffic accidents and fatalities. They added that the policy aims to achieve a 25% reduction in both major injury burden and preventable trauma-related mortality by 2030 and a 25% decrease in hospitalisation.S Sangeetha Satyanarayana, commissioner, health and family welfare department, said that to achieve this, selected community health centres (CHCs) will be upgraded into trauma care facilities, particularly in high-risk areas with frequent accidents and highway blind spots."In the first phase, around 70 to 80 CHCs are expected to be upgraded based on accident data and case load. The goal is to ensure that trauma cases receive immediate care at nearby facilities rather than being referred to distant tertiary hospitals, thereby reducing delays, lowering mortality rates, and minimising complications such as infections," she explained. "This decentralised approach is expected to significantly strengthen the overall trauma care infrastructure and improve patient outcomes across the state."At present, the average emergency response time in Telangana is around 13 minutes, with officials adding that the aim is to bring it down to single digits, around eight to nine minutes. To achieve this, the govt has collaborated with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the state police to identify accident-prone black spots and map all healthcare facilities along national highways. The plan ensures that there is no more than a 30 km to 35 km gap between trauma centres. Existing facilities along highways will be upgraded to function as trauma centres, with expansion and infrastructure improvements wherever necessary.Dr A Narendra Kumar, director of medical education (DME), explained that the trauma care system is structured into three levels: Level-1 centres, the highest tier, will provide advanced care including plastic surgery, emergency medicine, critical care units and modular operation theatres; Level-2 centres will offer all basic services along with specialist support such as a neurosurgeon; while Level-3 (primary) centres will deliver essential services like general medicine, surgery, paediatrics and anaesthesia."Currently, major govt hospitals such as NIMS, Osmania and Gandhi serve as Level-1 centres. The govt plans to expand this network by converting eight regional referral centres into Level 1 trauma centres, taking the total to 12, while around 25 facilities will be upgraded to Level 2 centres. These regional referral centres will function as super-speciality hubs at the district level, reducing the need for patients to travel to Hyderabad except for highly specialised services like ophthalmology, ENT and mental health care," he said.