New course in trauma surgery & critical care begins at AIIMS-Patna

Patna: Designed especially to save lives of victims of road and other accidents and provide multi-approach timely treatment, All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Patna (AIIMS-P), has introduced six-year advanced course of MCh (Magister Chirurgiae) in Trauma surgery and critical care (TSCC) from the current academic session.

At present, three-year MCh after MS and of five years after MBBS are already running at many places in the country, but this six-year course with new curriculum has been designed and introduced by AIIMS P for the first time.

AIIMS-P's executive director Dr G K Pal said, "After studying the number and nature of trauma cases reaching from all over the state at AIIMS-P, we decided to introduce this new course with substantially new academic and clinical curriculum.

The basic idea behind this course was to help in saving lives of people reaching the institute with multiple injuries and multi-organ failures after falling victim to serious accidents, be it road traffic, road rage, building collapse, criminal activities and offer post-trauma care, he explained.

The selection of first batch of six students with minimum eligibility of MBBS degree was made on the basis of an entrance test conducted by the AIIMS, New Delhi.

Experts, including trauma surgeon Dr Amit Gupta of JPN apex trauma centre of AIIMS Delhi were called for preparing the academic curriculum and course plan for this new course last month.

Pal said, "It was the increasing number of road accident victims reaching AIIMS-P from all over the state, taking varying times for covering the distance in case of being referred from other district hospitals, that warranted the need of introducing such course."

Now, the AIIMS-P management has decided to set up additional operation theatres ( OTs), increase beds in ICUs and strengthen other infrastructure for widening the facilities for TSCC. Pal said. The number of seats of the new course would be increased later.