Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh):

Ratlam's deadly roads expose a trauma care crisis in India's accident hotspot

Rapidly expanding road networks and rising traffic have turned Ratlam into a high-risk accident zone, while the absence of a fully functional trauma care system continues to cost lives during the crucial golden hour.

Despite being a key junction on the Delhi-Mumbai eight-lane corridor and an important railway and trade hub, the city still lacks a comprehensive trauma centre.

Despite having a 200-bed medical college and a 400-bed district hospital, trauma care facilities remain inadequate. The medical college has 10 modular operation theatres, but the orthopaedic department, vital for handling trauma cases, operates with only one theatre, causing delays.

The district hospital's trauma centre, built 15 to 20 years ago, lacks a dedicated trauma team, neurosurgeon and round-the-clock surgical services.

Data shows that nearly 47% of deaths occur in highway accidents, with over 60% of victims being two-wheeler riders. Over the past five years, annual accidents have ranged between 1,200 and 1,300, while deaths have consistently remained above 200.

Critically injured patients often have to be shifted 130 km to Indore or 350 km to Vadodara, losing the crucial golden hour. This delay significantly reduces survival chances.

According to Dr Anita Mutha, Dean, Ratlam Medical College, a large number of accident victims reach the hospital with severe head injuries. Considering this, the Medical College administration has sent a proposal to the government seeking the establishment of a full neurosurgery unit comprising three doctors. Approval of these posts, she said, would help provide trauma-level facilities locally and significantly improve survival chances for accident victims.

Story by Rajesh Moonat