India, July 30 -- The Orissa High Court on Thursday ordered the immediate reopening of the Trauma ICU at SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH) in Cuttack after it remained closed for a prolonged period following a massive fire incident.

The direction was issued to the judicial commission probing the fire incident, asking it to take necessary steps to facilitate the immediate reopening of the critical care unit. The court also instructed the commission to ensure the ICU is handed back to the SCB authorities so that emergency trauma services can resume at the earliest.

The Trauma ICU has remained non-functional since the fire mishap, affecting the availability of specialised critical care for seriously injured patients. The prolonged...