Sambalpur’s ₹21.28 crore trauma care centre at the district headquarters hospital remains non-operational nearly 10 months after its inauguration, prompting a complaint at Sambalpur Town police station over the delay and alleged staff shortages.
The centre was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on January 11. Progressive Sambalpur, a forum of civil society members, filed the complaint on Monday seeking an investigation into why the facility has not begun full operations and action against those responsible.
According to the complaint, patients requiring emergency medical attention are being denied the specialised healthcare services promised at the state-of-the-art facility. The complainants alleged that the centre lacks essential medical and support personnel, including doctors, anaesthesiologists, orthopaedic surgeons, technicians and nurses.
The complaint has brought renewed attention to the gap between completing and inaugurating a public health facility and making it fully functional. While the building and equipment-related infrastructure may be in place, trauma care depends on the availability of specialised doctors, nursing staff, technicians and round-the-clock operational support.
Sambalpur chief district medical officer Dr Neelamadhab Satpathy said the trauma care centre would soon become operational and that the state government was taking steps in this regard. He did not provide a specific date for the centre’s full operationalisation in the statement reported by The Times of India.
Dr Satpathy also linked the delay to changes in the hospital campus. He said the old hospital buildings had become structurally weak and would be demolished to make way for new ones. Departments operating from those buildings have been shifted to the newly constructed facility.
At the same time, the CDMO said several critically ill patients were already being treated there. The statement does not establish whether the centre is functioning as a fully staffed trauma care unit or is being used in a limited capacity while the hospital undergoes the transition.
The complaint has sought an investigation into the delay and stringent action against those responsible. The state government’s next steps, including staff deployment and the timeline for full operations, will determine when the facility can provide the specialised emergency services for which it was established.
