The Karnataka government has approved a ₹10-crore upgrade of trauma care services across key hospitals in the Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts, aimed at improving emergency response and reducing preventable deaths from road accidents and other injuries. The move clears a long-pending proposal to strengthen trauma care centres at two district hospitals and nine taluk hospitals, which serve a largely rural population along busy highway corridors.
Under the plan, Mysuru District Hospital and taluk hospitals in Nanjangud, Heggadadevanakote, Hunsur, Periyapatna and KR Nagar in Mysuru district will receive upgraded facilities, along with Chamarajanagar District Hospital and taluk hospitals in Kollegala, Yelandur and Gundlupet in neighbouring Chamarajanagar district. The work will be carried out under the National Trauma and Burn Care Management Programme, which focuses on building critical care capacity and strengthening referral networks for trauma and burn patients.
According to the government order issued on Friday, the ₹10-crore outlay has been earmarked for the procurement of essential trauma care equipment and a fleet of 13 ambulances. This will include two advanced life support (ALS) ambulances and 11 basic life support (BLS) units, intended to improve pre-hospital care and safe transport of critically injured patients to appropriate facilities. The government has granted conditional approval to invite tenders under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act once the equipment list is finalised, signalling that implementation will move to the procurement stage next.
The approved equipment package is designed to bolster both diagnostics and surgical management for trauma cases. Hospitals will receive image intensifiers (C-Arm), trolley-mounted 3D ultrasonography units, 500 mA X-ray machines with darkroom facilities and 100 mA portable X-ray machines, all crucial for rapid assessment of fractures, internal injuries and head trauma.
Operation theatres at these hospitals are set for upgrades with four-section orthopaedic OT tables, shadowless ceiling lights and anaesthesia machines equipped with six- to eight-channel monitors, aligning them more closely with tertiary-care standards. Additional support systems will include mono and bipolar cautery machines, high-vacuum suction units, pneumatic tourniquets, and a range of general surgical and orthopaedic instrument sets needed to handle complex fracture fixations and emergency surgeries.
The package also covers power drills and saws, splints and traction systems, patient-warming devices and rehabilitation training kits, which together are expected to improve post-injury recovery and reduce long-term disability. Health department sources noted that equipping taluk hospitals in this manner is expected to significantly ease the pressure on district hospitals, which currently handle a large share of serious trauma cases from rural pockets.
“Both districts have an extensive network of state and national highways and are witnessing a rise in accident cases. This initiative is expected to reduce the burden on district hospitals in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar,” a health department official said, underlining the link between growing road traffic, rising trauma caseload and the need for decentralised emergency care.
Chamarajanagar district health officer Dr S Chidambara said the upgradation of taluk hospitals would be a crucial step in ensuring that victims receive timely treatment closer to where accidents occur. “This equipment is required to treat the patients during accidents and other emergencies,” he said, adding that the government has assured that human resources will be provided in the next phase of the plan.
Currently, Chamarajanagar district does not have an ALS ambulance, a gap that often limits the level of care available during patient transfer. Currently, the ALS ambulance is not available in Chamarajanagar district. Its addition will be very much helpful,” Dr Chidambara noted, emphasising that advanced pre-hospital interventions can be critical in stabilising patients before they reach the hospital.
Health officials and clinicians in the region view the move as a structural strengthening of the trauma care chain, from the site of injury to definitive treatment. By bringing advanced diagnostics, better-equipped operation theatres and higher-level ambulance support to secondary-care centres, the upgrade is expected to cut delays, reduce unnecessary transfers and improve survival chances for seriously injured patients in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar.
