PATNA, Oct. 26 -- The Bihar government, on October 23, notified AIIMS Patna as a Level I trauma care centre and 31 medical colleges - 14 government and 17 private - as Level II centres, expanding the state's designated network for emergency treatment of road accident victims in line with Supreme Court directions, officials said on Sunday. AIIMS Patna has been upgraded from Level II to Level I, the highest category under the Centre's operational guidelines for developing trauma care facilities. The revised designation follows a review of government and private medical colleges conducted on July 29 to comply with the Supreme Court's order of May 26, 2026, in SaveLIFE Foundation and another versus Union of India and others, in writ petition (civil) No. 726 of 2024. The court directed all states and Union territories to grade and designate public and private medical facilities in accordance with Union health ministry guidelines within three months. It expanded the scope beyond national highways to include state highways, major district roads and urban and peri-urban areas, and ordered states and UTs to report compliance. The Bihar government's assessment aims to ensure that designated Level II and Level III facilities are accessible from almost all highways within 60 minutes. The objective is to make essential emergency services, including blood transfusion and CT and MRI scans, available within the "golden hour" - the critical period immediately after a traumatic injury when prompt treatment can improve a patient's chances of survival, health officials said. The government has also proposed a public awareness campaign alongside the designation of trauma centres. The Union health ministry's Operational Guidelines for Capacity Building for Developing Trauma Care Facilities specify indicative requirements for staffing, equipment, bed strength and the distribution of trauma centres. A Level I centre, such as AIIMS Patna, is expected to have more than 500 beds and a workforce of around 237 personnel. The indicative specialist requirements include four neurosurgeons, two radiologists, one plastic surgeon, six anaesthetists and four orthopaedic surgeons. The prescribed equipment benchmarks include 10 ventilators, 10 intensive care unit (ICU) beds and four operating theatres. A Level II centre is expected to have 300-500 beds and around 101 personnel. Its indicative specialist complement includes one neurosurgeon, two radiologists, three anaesthetists and three orthopaedic surgeons. The equipment benchmarks include 10 ventilators, 10 ICU beds and two operating theatres. The guidelines also envisage a wider geographic network, with approximately one Level I centre for every 750-800 km and one Level II centre for every 235 km. These are indicative planning standards intended to ensure timely access to specialised trauma treatment. Among the 14 government medical colleges the Bihar health department has notified as Level II trauma care facilities are the Patna Medical College and Hospital, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, the Employees' State Insurance Corporation Medical College and Hospital (all in Patna), Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, (Muzaffarpur), Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (Darbhanga), Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (Bhagalpur), Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (Gaya), Bhagwan Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences (Pawapuri, Nalanda), Government Medical College and Hospital (Saran), Jannayak Karpoori Thakur Medical College and Hospital (Madhepura), Government Medical College and Hospital (West Champaran), Shri Ram Janki Medical College and Hospital (Samastipur) and the Government Medical College and Hospital (Purnia). The 17 private medical colleges in Bihar notified as Level II trauma care facilities are the Narayan Medical College and Hospital (Jamuhar at Sasaram in Rohtas district), Lord Buddha Koshi Medical College and Hospital (Saharsa), Madhubani Medical College and Hospital (Madhubani), Mahabodhi Medical College and Hospital (Gaya), Netaji Subhash Medical College and Hospital (Patna), Shri Narayan Medical Institute and Hospital (Saharsa), Himalaya Medical College and Hospital, (Paliganj in Patna), Katihar Medical College and Hospital (Katihar), Mata Gujri Memorial Medical College and Lions Seva Kendra Hospital (Kishanganj), Radha Devi Jageshwari Memorial Medical College and Hospital (Muzaffarpur), Virat Ramayan Institute of Medical Sciences (East Champaran), Buddha Medical and Research Institute (Gaya), Srinivas (Ji) Educational and Research Institute of Medical Sciences (Saran), Shyamlal Chandrashekhar Medical College and (SPN) Multispeciality Hospital (Khagaria), KK Medical College and Hospital (Nalanda), Mamata Medical College and Hospital (Siwan) and the Kurma Sanskriti Medical College and Hospital (Jehanabad). In addition, the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan hospital in Patna is already designated as a Level II trauma care centre, health officials said. Before the latest review on July 29 this year, the Bihar health department had notified 10 government medical colleges and hospitals, including AIIMS Patna, as Level II trauma care centres on December 30, 2000, along with its 36 district hospitals as Level III trauma centres. Subsequently, on October 16, 2023, the government notified 14 health facilities as Level III trauma centres. These included six community health centres (CHC), three sub-divisional hospitals (SDH), the dental medical college at Rahui in Nalanda, the primary health centre at Narpatganj in Araria district, and the additional primary health centre at Maheshkoot in Khagaria district. The earlier list included Purnia district hospital, which has since been upgraded to a medical college, but it did not include Darbhanga and West Champaran district hospitals. The health department's review in October 2023 proposed revising the list by replacing Purnia district hospital with Darbhanga district hospital, while accounting for Purnia's change in status to a medical college, officials said....