KARACHI: The Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (SMBB) Accident Emergency and Trauma Centre, inaugurated in December 2015, is designed to be the first of its kind, Level 1 trauma centre in Pakistan and South Asia and has been serving the country since September 2016.
This is one of the few achievements of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which is providing high quality and costly treatment free of charge to the patients not only from Karachi but also from interior Sindh and even Baluchistan.
These 500 bedded unique facilities have 97 bedded Emergency Department and two each intensive care and high dependency units. It has 18 fully equipped operating rooms and has first public sector Dilutional Pharmacy providing medicines on modern pharmacy principle. In addition, the Centre has started specialities of vascular surgery and intervention radiology, which are hitherto non-existent in any public sector hospital in the province.
The performance of the centre can easily judge by the statistics of the patient. There was a total of 104,957 emergencies received in 2017 whereas in 2018 the numbers for 9 months are 110,766 proving that there are a stark increase and an influx of patients consistently.
As the numbers of patients have increased, due to the high-quality care, tireless work of the skilled and qualified team at SMBB Trauma Centre, the constant expansion of their services and top-notch facilities offered there has been a markedly decrease in mortality rate as well. In short, it is has become a ray of hope for polytrauma patients.
For the past few months, attempts have been made to tarnish the reputation of both the Trauma Centre and the doctors who have made indefatigable efforts to make the Centre into what it is. These incompetent and unethical attempts have been made by a group of doctors working at SMBB Trauma Centre purely out of professional jealousy and in an attempt to gain a better position. If the claims made in the said news were true, statistics would have stated otherwise. Contrary to the absurd claims being made, the Centre has made a name as one of if not the finest public sector Trauma Centre in the nation and has achieved profoundly in a rather short period of time.
At present, SMBB Trauma Centre is 80 per cent functional however there is an undeniable lack of manpower and constant requirement of funds needed to make it a fully operational to Level 1 Trauma Centre adding further benefits and services to patients and to continue offering costly treatments free of cost whilst maintaining its exceptional track record.
There are constant improvements and additions in the works, which along with teamwork of the members of SMBB Trauma centre are impossible without the help and cooperation of the government and private funders hence it is essential that the Centre is given constant aid and support.
