Rajasthan Health Department Announces Major Trauma Care Enhancement Strategy
The Rajasthan State Health Department has formulated a comprehensive and ambitious plan to significantly upgrade trauma and emergency-care services across the state. This strategic initiative is intricately linked to the department's 2026 action plan, which itself is aligned with the broader vision of Viksit Rajasthan 2047. The plan represents a mission-mode effort to fortify the state's emergency medical response infrastructure.
Core Components of the Trauma Care Scale-Up Plan
The blueprint involves several critical operational changes and infrastructure developments designed to create a more robust emergency care network.
- Implementation of Monthly Trauma Reporting: A new system of monthly trauma reporting will be rolled out under the established trauma triage policy. This aims to improve data collection and monitoring of trauma cases statewide.
- Formulation of a Dedicated Trauma Care Policy: The department plans to introduce a specific trauma care policy. This policy will provide the framework to systematically strengthen both Level-1 and Level-2 trauma centers, ensuring they operate at optimal capacity.
- Strategic Upgradation of Trauma Centers: A key physical upgrade involves elevating six existing divisional trauma centers to the status of Level I trauma centers. Furthermore, seven older RajMES medical colleges, along with Jaipuria Hospital and Kanwatia Hospital, will be developed into Level II trauma centers.
Understanding Trauma Center Levels
The plan hinges on creating a tiered system of care to manage patient needs effectively.
A Level I trauma center is defined as a comprehensive, highest-capability facility. It provides definitive trauma care 24/7, including immediate surgical intervention, advanced critical care (ICU services), sophisticated diagnostics, and full coverage by specialist medical professionals.
A Level II trauma center is a facility capable of delivering advanced trauma care and emergency surgery, supported by critical care and diagnostic services. While highly capable, it may refer the most complex and severe cases to a Level I center for specialized treatment when necessary.
Catalysts for the Initiative: Recent Tragedies and Judicial Intervention
This urgent push for improvement follows several high-profile incidents that highlighted critical gaps in emergency medical response. A report in early November had pointed to delayed medical care as a contributing factor in the deaths of two victims from a road accident in Harmada. In direct response, the health department decided to fast-track the development of a Level II trauma center at Kanwatia Hospital.
The initiative gained further momentum from judicial oversight. In November 2025, the Supreme Court of India took suo motu cognizance of alarming back-to-back road crashes in Phalodi, Rajasthan, and in Telangana, which together claimed nearly 40 lives. The Phalodi accident on November 2nd, where a passenger van collided with a stationary trailer, resulted in 15 fatalities, including four children and ten women, with two others injured.
The apex court expressed grave concern over the frequency of highway deaths and directed the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan to submit a detailed report covering the circumstances of the Phalodi incident, relief measures provided, and proposed road-safety actions. This directive has placed additional pressure on the state administration to demonstrate tangible improvements in trauma care.
Building Capacity Through Training and Resource Allocation
Beyond infrastructure, the 2026 action plan emphasizes human resource development and equipment provisioning.
- Expansion of Training Facilities: The health department plans to significantly scale up training capacity by establishing trauma skill labs and basic life-saving training centers in at least three to four divisions across Rajasthan. The SMS Hospital skill lab in Jaipur, noted as the country's first such facility, has already trained over 8,000 participants, including more than 2,500 doctors and nursing officers, in basic life support techniques.
- Ensuring Adequate Resources: The plan mandates ensuring the availability of sufficient ICU beds, life-saving medical equipment, essential diagnostic tests, and critical medicines. It also focuses on maintaining a fully trained cadre of doctors and nursing staff proportionate to the expected patient load, all aimed at speeding up prompt treatment for road accident victims throughout the state.
A senior health department official confirmed the strategic intent, stating, "The upgradation of trauma centres is an integral part of our departmental action plan for 2026, developed in line with the long-term goals of Viksit Rajasthan 2047." This comprehensive approach seeks to transform Rajasthan's emergency medical response system, making it more resilient and effective in saving lives.
