KARACHI: Karachiites to have new burns centre next month
KARACHI, Sept 19: In spite of all adversities, Karachi would have its first Burns Centre operational by early October following installation of a three-phase PMT and necessary connection with the support of private donors.
Urgency of the centre for the metropolis could be well gauged from the fact that besides the surge in the emergency conditions, there happen to be an annual average of 1,000 patients reporting to Burns Unit of the Civil Hospital for surgical intervention as the only option and hence needed to be admitted.
There are 19,500 to 20,000 patients attending the OPD of the Burns Unit, Civil Hospital annually. These patients from middle and lower income groups are absolutely in no position to afford the expensive treatment in the private sector while none of the government hospitals, with the exception of National Institute of Child Health, cater to complicated and serious nature of burn cases.
Under an arrangement, all paediatric category of burns are attended at NICH and that of adult at Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit - CHK.
Along with accidental instances causing varied degrees of burn and constituting the major chunk (98 per cent) of cases referred to the Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit of CHK, followed by homicidal and suicidal nature of burns, there is almost an equal number of congenital as well as unintentional nature of deformities required to be corrected through plastic surgery.
The growing number of such cases which also had to be attended and administered in extremely hygienic conditions and clean surroundings besides under highly sterilized circumstances would be possible at the newly and fully equipped Burns Centre - an extension of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Dow University of Health Sciences and Civil Hospital, Karachi.
Prof Shaista Effendi, Head of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit told newsmen that the state of art facility is housed in a building notified as a protected heritage.
Previously the very structure located within the premises of the CHK and DUHS was about to be demolished and a new building was decided to be erected. However, local philanthropists "Friends of Burns Centre" agreed with the idea to renovate the building while, keeping its original structure intact.
The state-of-the-art facility, completed with a significant assistance of private donors, besides government funding, included Rs8 million for procurement of equipment. It will be run under a board of management for which a memorandum of understanding is about to be arrived between donors and government functionaries.
It would be a 10-member board, comprising Sindh Secretary Health (President) and Chairperson of the Friends of Burns Centre as Vice President. Vice Chancellor, DUHS and other authorities as well as some of the members of Friends of Burns Centre will also be the part of the board.
Answering a query, Prof. Effendi said there was also no dearth of qualified and well trained health care providers, including doctors, nurses, para-medics, physiotherapists and the technical staff, however, they need to transferred to the Burns Centre and due consideration on part of CHK MS and Sindh health department is required.
As for recurring expenditure, she said it was estimated to come to around Rs 1 million which has to be provided by the government but can be supported again by local philanthropists too. -APP
