Trauma centre at Chandigarh's Sector 32 hospital set to open in August

A 259-bed newly built trauma centre will start functioning at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, in August. The state-of-the-art facility is expected to bolster the city’s burdened emergency services.

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According to GMCH Medical Superintendent Dr GP Thami, while the construction work has been completed, the installation of medical equipment is underway.

He said a proposal to inaugurate the trauma centre’s on the day of the 11th convocation of the GMCH had been submitted to the UT Administration. The name of the chief guest for the event is under discussion.

Originally sanctioned in 2019 with an expected completion timeline of a year and a half, the project faced significant delays due to the Covid pandemic. The project gained urgency as the existing emergency block had to operate beyond its capacity. Authorities are optimistic that the new facility will ease overcrowding and allow reallocation of space in emergency block to other departments.

Once the facility is established at the GMCH, the city will have two dedicated trauma centres — the other one at PGIMER — enhancing the region’s preparedness to handle critical emergencies.

The trauma centre is part of GMCH’s larger effort to bolster its emergency healthcare infrastructure. Currently, the hospital operates around 150 emergency and trauma beds combined, which often prove inadequate during peak hours. For long, the existing emergency wing had been unable to accommodate the growing patient load, leading to situations where patients had to be managed on stretchers in crowded corridors.

The new wing is expected to significantly improve patient care and response time.

The late Dr BS Chavan, the former director of GMCH, had secured Rs 52 crore for the institute’s expansion, aiming to separate trauma care from general emergency services.

The GMCH’s 11th convocation, which was earlier postponed due to the India-Pakistan tensions, has been rescheduled for August 2. Earlier, it was scheduled for May 2 and Union Health Minister JP Nadda was expected to preside over the function, Later, Minister of State Anupriya Patel was finalised as the guest of honour. Degrees in medicine, nursing, paramedical sciences and allied disciplines will be awarded during the ceremony.

Besides the trauma centre launch, the hospital administration is also exploring options to utilise the vacated space in the main building for expanding the Gynaecology Department, which is facing persistent shortage of beds.