PATNA, May 13 -- The Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to the state health brass to establish a dedicated trauma centre, having the highest facilities, at the century old state-run Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), which is all set to become Asia's largest and the world's second largest hospital with 5,460 beds by 2030. "In a joint letter to the additional chief secretary (ACS), health, Pratyaya Amrit, the IMA on May 8 has requested him to establish a Level-1 dedicated trauma centre at the PMCH, like the one at AIIMS-Delhi, with specialised trauma surgeons, who can handle patients with multiple medical conditions, involving the bones, head, organs, blood vessels and soft tissues," said Dr Santosh Kumar Singh, secretary of the IMA Bihar. "Given that the PMCH will become Asia's largest, we want the facilities at PMCH to also be at par with the world's best," said Dr Singh. A trauma surgeon has cross-training, and is well-versed in various aspects of care, including orthopaedics, neurosurgical, chest trauma, maxillofacial injuries, abdominal injuries and vascular procedures, etc. Trauma department works on the concept of "One Patient, One Doctor, Under One Umbrella", added Dr Singh. The Level-I dedicated trauma centre at PMCH should have a 24x7 trauma care unit with emergency operating theatres, intensive care unit (ICU), imaging, and blood bank; a multi-disciplinary trauma team comprising trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and critical care specialists; a trauma registry and data management system to support research and continuous quality improvement; besides integration with state ambulance services and pre-hospital emergency response systems, said the IMA in its letter to the ACS. The establishment of such a centre will significantly reduce trauma-related mortality and morbidity, and position PMCH as a model trauma care and training institute for the entire region. It will also serve as a crucial step toward upgrading healthcare infrastructure in accordance with national standards, the IMA said....