ISLAMABAD: Despite medical experts’ assertions that people with burn injuries should be admitted to hospitals and treated immediately to reduce chances of infection, it has become near impossible to admit patients to hospital burn centres in Pakistan due to a lack of beds.

And with the arrival of winter, the problem has been exacerbated by the increase in fires or gas cylinder explosions.

There are 20 beds in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) burn centre, and relatives of injured individuals have held numerous protests against the shortage.

Some hospitals in the capital that do have treatment facilities for burn injuries are unlikely to admit civilian patients for security reasons.

With the arrival of winter, the situation worsens as there is an increase in fires and gas cylinder explosions

Disappointed by Pims, a number of people have also turned to the burn units at Wah Cantonment or CMH Kharian only to return to Pims due to the lack of beds at other hospitals.

The PCI-1 for the current burn centre at Pims was made in 2003, and the building was inaugurated in December 2007.

The building includes a 12-bed intensive care unit with separate rooms, attached baths, air fluidised beds and low air loss mattresses.

There is also an 8-bed ward, an emergency department, an operation theatre, a hydrotherapy centre, a laboratory, a blood bank and a physiotherapy and rehabilitation centre.

According to Pims media coordinator Dr Waseem Khawaja, the centre can no longer meet patient requirements due to an influx of patients from Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and even Afghanistan.

“During the last five years, 35,666 patients have been to the burn centre for checkups,” Dr Khawaja said.

“Of which, 1,848 patients were admitted for major burn injuries. 1,376 [75pc] were discharged after receiving treatment and 472 [25pc] died.”

Dr Khawaja said that beds are occupied while some patients receive treatment that lasts several weeks.

“Many times we were not able to accept patients just because of the lack of beds, because of which their relatives protested.

“Sometimes we admit patients with burns to them medical wards, but even then it becomes difficult to provide proper treatment and care to them,” he explained.

Pims Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram said the situation will improve soon, since the PC-1 of a project, worth over Rs1 billion, to triple the number of beds in the burn centre has been approved.

He said the centre’s building can hold two more stories, which will be constructed under the approved PC-1.

“Not only will the number of beds be increased by three times, but a research centre will also be constructed,” he said.

Dr Akram said a research centre and department of regenerative medicine and skin generation laboratory will be set up at the centre, “as skin is required to cover patients’ wounds”.

“Whenever skin is placed on the wound...the patient is protected from infection. In the past, patients’ skin would be removed to apply to the wound, but now skin can be generated using tissue,” he said.

Dr Akram said the building will be constructed within 18 months from when Pims receives funding for the project.

“Although funding will be released in the next fiscal year budget, there is a chance we might get funding from the prime minister’s fund, as an extension would be constructed on the prime minister’s directive,”

In response to a question, the vice chancellor said patients with burns increase in the winter due to the use of heaters.

“People also use stoves as heaters, or their gas tanks explode. But most fires erupt because coal is used to stay warm.”

Dr Akram added that legislation is needed to ensure quality manufacturing of stoves and to reduce incidents of acid violence.

“A large number of patients come to the burn centre because of incidents of acid [violence],” he said.

“In addition, a burn centre should be constructed in each district to meet the beds requirement,” he added.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2017