Bhubaneswar: Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Mukesh Mahaling has proposed collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to strengthen the state’s integrated emergency and trauma care system, while urging inclusion of an Odisha district under the National Health Research Priority (NHRP) project.
During a visit to the Department of Emergency Medicine and the JPN Apex Trauma Centre at AIIMS New Delhi on Monday, the minister reviewed the institute’s advanced trauma care infrastructure, emergency patient management systems and treatment protocols.
As part of efforts to improve emergency healthcare in Odisha, Dr Mahaling has written to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl and AIIMS Professor Dr Sanjeev Bhoi, seeking support for implementing an integrated emergency and trauma care model in the state.
In his communication, the minister highlighted the need to strengthen Odisha’s emergency healthcare systems, particularly in addressing critical conditions such as road accidents, heart attacks, strokes and snakebite cases.
Citing findings from the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative 2019, he noted that Odisha ranks eighth in the country in mortality rate and third in terms of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), underlining the urgency for stronger emergency and trauma care mechanisms.
The minister further pointed out that a successful model for integrated emergency and trauma care has already been developed under the ICMR-supported National Health Research Priority (NHRP) project, led by AIIMS Professor Dr Sanjeev Bhoi.
Describing the model as highly relevant for Odisha, Dr Mahaling requested that one district in the state be included under the NHRP initiative to pilot the integrated trauma and emergency care framework.
He expressed hope that successful implementation in one district could pave the way for expansion of the model across Odisha, significantly improving emergency medical response and public health outcomes in the state.
The minister said the proposed collaboration would mark an important step towards strengthening Odisha’s healthcare preparedness and ensuring better access to timely trauma and emergency services.
