Despite being a regional healthcare hub catering to more than 10 districts, Jammu still lacks a full-fledged Multi-Specialty Trauma Hospital. This absence leaves a critical gap in emergency response and medical infrastructure, forcing over 80% of trauma patients to travel outside the Union Territory, reported by Daily Excelsior. In the process, most victims lose the golden hour, the crucial window of time that could save lives.

Hospitals with Trauma and Critical Care Services in Jammu

• SMGS Hospital: This hospital offers trauma and orthopedic care.
• Amandeep Multispeciality Opd Clinic: Located on the National Highway 1A near Greater Kailash, Jammu.
• Batra Hospital, National Highway Bypass, Sidhra: This center has a specialized department for emergency and neurocritical care, offering comprehensive trauma services.
• Ujala Cygnus J K Medicity Hospital: Located near Narwal Bye-pass Road, this hospital has emergency and trauma services.
• Ankur Maitrika Hospital: This hospital provides 24/7 trauma emergency and critical care services.

According to data presented in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir increased from 5,452 in 2021 to 6,092 in 2022, reflecting a rise of over 12 percent. Fatalities also went up from 774 deaths in 2021 to 805 in 2022. Despite having five designated trauma centers in Jammu, the facilities remain inadequate, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen critical care. Jammu truly deserves a state-of-the-art multi-specialty Trauma Centre to save lives and reduce preventable deaths.

The hilly terrain of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri, and Poonch, combined with frequent road traffic accidents on NH-44 and natural calamities like landslides and cloudbursts, makes the Jammu division highly vulnerable. In the absence of a multi-specialty trauma facility, families are left with no choice but to rush patients to Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, or Delhi, adding heavy financial and emotional strain.

The recent Chashoti village cloudburst incident once again exposed the regional healthcare inequality. Several patients required urgent neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and orthopedic operations, but Jammu lacked the integrated systems to deliver. By the time patients were shifted outside J&K, the golden hour was already lost.

A senior doctor from GMC Jammu admitted that the entire division relies on the hospital as its only referral centre. Without a dedicated Trauma Centre, patients with multiple injuries to the head, spine, chest, and abdomen cannot receive comprehensive treatment. Globally, multi-specialty trauma hospitals integrate orthopedics, neurosurgery, general surgery, emergency medicine, and ICU care under one roof, a model missing in Jammu.

Read also: Jammu & Kashmir Sees Sharp Spike in Road Accidents and Deaths

Health Experts Demand Policy Shift

Medical experts argue that instead of sanctioning another Bone and Joint Hospital, the government should focus on critical care infrastructure. They call for a Trauma Network that links GMC Jammu, AIIMS Jammu, and peripheral hospitals under the National Health Mission (NHM). This would ensure immediate access to ICU beds, blood banks, air ambulances, and surgical ICUs in times of crisis.

Experts and policymakers suggest constructing a multi-story Trauma Centre adjacent to the Bone and Joint Hospital, Bakshi Nagar, utilizing the vacant land near CD Hospital. Such a facility would house emergency operating theatres, surgical ICUs, advanced diagnostic units, and helicopter evacuation services for immediate treatment.

Disaster Preparedness: A Growing Need

The tragedies in Paddar (Kishtwar) and near the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine highlight the urgent need for disaster preparedness, trauma registries, and emergency evacuation plans. Without these systems, Jammu remains unprepared for mass casualty incidents.

Defunct Trauma Units: A Failed Experiment

The so-called Trauma Units in Vijaypur and Ramban lie defunct due to lack of staff and equipment. This has fueled frustration among social activists and the medical fraternity, who demand that the government immediately sanction a world-class Trauma Hospital for Jammu.

Until a comprehensive trauma care system is established, patients will continue to lose lives and families will continue to suffer. A robust referral system, rural healthcare linkages, critical care infrastructure, and modern emergency response measures must be implemented without delay.

Jammu deserves a dedicated multi-specialty Trauma Centre that bridges the gap in public health policy and finally provides accident victims the lifeline they urgently need.