In a rare and remarkable achievement for a government hospital, the trauma and emergency care centre at Victoria Hospital has reported zero surgical site infections since it began conducting surgeries in 2017.
Between 2017 and 2025, the centre performed 31,780 surgeries across general surgery, orthopaedics, plastic surgery and neurosurgery.
Major milestone in public healthcare
A surgical site infection occurs at or near the operation area within 30 days of surgery and can range from mild wound complications to serious life-threatening conditions if not treated early.
In many government hospitals, infection rates may range from 5 to 20 percent depending on the procedure and surgical location.
According to a 2025 report by Indian Council of Medical Research, the national average surgical site infection rate was around 5.2 percent, while orthopaedic surgeries stood at 5.4 percent.
Hygiene and monitoring key to success
Dr Asima Banu said the zero-infection achievement was likely a first-of-its-kind milestone.
She credited strict hygiene standards, proper antibiotic use and continuous monitoring by infection control nursing teams for the success.
The centre’s findings are also expected to be documented in medical journals.
South India first lab coming soon
To strengthen post-surgical care further, the trauma centre — affiliated with Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute — will soon receive an Integrated Reference Diagnostic Laboratory from ICMR.
This will be the first such facility in South India.
The laboratory is expected to help with faster infection detection, antibiotic sensitivity testing, outbreak alerts and surveillance of hospital infection trends.
Lifeline for emergency care
The 60-bed trauma centre provides round-the-clock treatment for accidents, cardiac emergencies and severe injuries.
In 2025 alone, it handled 70,993 outpatients and 48,024 inpatient admissions.
The achievement is being hailed as a proud moment for Bengaluru’s public healthcare system.