16 September,2014 07:06 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
The sorely needed emergency centre is close to completion, and the MSRDC is now looking for firms qualified to operate it
If all goes according to plan, the Mumbai-Pune expressway could finally have an operational trauma care centre within two months. With the construction of the facility close to completion now, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from firms with the expertise and experience necessary to run such a service.
The expressway, notorious for accidents, has long needed a trauma centre to provide immediate medical attention to accident victims. File pic
More than a year ago, the department had begun constructing the trauma centre at Ozarde, near the Talegaon toll plaza. The centre is spread across eight acres and will be a level IV facility capable of providing surgical and critical care.
The expressway has long been notorious for the frequent accidents that occur there due to speeding or other common causes. According to the highway traffic police data, since 2009, there have been more than 400 deaths and 700 injured on the freeway.
The MSRDC has taken several precautions to minimise the number of accidents and the damage they cause, such as installing safety barriers with Brifen wire ropes. But what the highway needs most sorely is a medical emergency centre to ensure that accident victims can be rushed there within the golden hour, increasing their chances of survival.
Currently, it could take as long as 45 minutes to an hour before victims reach a hospital. But with the new trauma centre, the transit time will be reduced to 20 to 30 minutes. "Since a long time, there has been a need for a proper trauma care centre in place on the expressway, so that the accident victims can be taken to the hospital in the golden hour.
It was observed that in some cases, the victims' condition would get critical as there was a while taking them to the hospital. So we started the construction of a trauma centre, which is now completely ready," said a MSRDC official adding, "we have invited Expression Of Interest (EOI) from those who can operate the centre, and we are expecting positive response, which will help us start the service at the earliest."
The department will accept EOI until the end of the month, and depending on the kind of response they get, the trauma centre could be up and running within two months. The state agency has also written to the health department, asking for its assistance in setting up the facility.
