Former union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and order the establishment of a dedicated Trauma Centre at AIIMS, Bathinda and ensure the supply of quality drugs at reasonable prices. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mrs Badal said she had been raising the need for a Trauma Centre and adequate quality drugs for the AMRIT pharmacy at AIIMS, besides other issues related to the well-being of doctors and staff for over two years but “no action has been taken in the matter.” She highlighted how she had raised these issues repeatedly with the union health minister and in parliament.
Calling for a dedicated Trauma centre at AIIMS, Mrs Badal said the 30-bed emergency ward was woefully underequipped in dealing with trauma cases. She highlighted how AIIMS Bathinda was situated at the crossing of three major national highways and two state highways. “It also has one of the largest railway junctions with crossing of six major routes”.
She also highlighted a State government report of 2019 that revealed that Bathinda had one of the highest mortality rates for road traffic accidents registered in the State. Considering these facts, Mrs Badal said a 300-bed Trauma Center should be established at AIIMS, Bathinda and urged the PM to intervene and release Rs 200 crore for building the necessary infrastructure and Rs 75 crore for equipment for the centre. She also said that due to an acute shortage of drugs, patients were being forced to purchase medicines from private chemist shops outside the Institute at greatly marked-up prices. Requesting the PM to direct the health ministry to ensure the supply of needed medicines at the dispensary, Mrs Badal said the number of AMRIT dispensaries also needed to be increased at AIIMS because patients complained of long waiting periods.
She requested a Jan Aushadi centre proposed be established at the earliest. Mrs Badal also highlighted that the matter regarding administrative and financial sanction for the construction of additional dwelling units (1120 in Nos.) at AIIMS Bathinda was pending with the ministry of Health. She urged the Prime Minister to intervene to ensure speedy construction of the dwelling units. Her letter read: “The AIIMS institutes which have come up at various places in the country were envisioned by you with the express purpose of ensuring quality medical care at affordable prices.
