FAISALABAD: The sole burn centre in Faisalabad division still lacks the most crucial Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and facility of dialysis though it was made ‘functional’ in 2015.

The centre had to start functioning in 2009 but alleged negligence on part of the government delayed the project.

It is also understaffed as the two sanctioned seats of assistant professors and six of senior registrars are vacant. Similarly, 10 of the fourteen approved seats of medical officers are vacant. Isolation of burnt patients is mandatory to ensure their early recovery and save them from any kind of infection. The centre also lacks this facility.

A room for the 12-bed ICU has been constructed but it is being used as a general ward as mandatory equipment for the ICU is not available.

Structural design of the centre is also faulty as its elevator is small and unable to accommodate the stretcher.

Faisalabad is known as the textile capital of Pakistan and in view of the burn incidents at factories, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q government had approved the centre in 2006. According to information, about one million labourers are directly or indirectly attached with the textile sector and minor and serious burns are common at such factories.

An amount of Rs478.8 million was approved by the provincial government on Nov 2, 2006 for this four-storey centre. Implementation period of the project was 22 months (Oct 2006-July 2008). The government had promised burn care facilities such as Burn Management Protocol System, Inventory Control System & Management Structure, Research Laboratory for Skin Alternatives, Academic Block for Training & Research Automation/Computerization for effective inventory and financial management in line with the international standards.

Dr Khurram Sohail Raja, Secretary Medical Teachers Association of the Faisalabad Medical University, said delay in the project was due to unavailability of funds by the government and absence of staff was aggravating the situation. He said interviews were conducted about two years ago but the staff was yet to be recruited.

“We have raised the issue several times at the meeting of our association and demanded that the local administration approach the government for facilities. But nothing is being done and patients are the ultimate sufferer,” he added. A doctor says the centre may not be able to meet patients’ requirements since patients from Faisalabad, Chiniot, Sargodha, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang and other areas of the province come to Allied Hospital. He says the government had recently directed the hospital administration to be ready for the treatment of the Ahmedpur East tanker incident victims but no patient was shifted here because of inadequacies.

He says patients are being shifted for dialysis to a centre set up far away from the burn centre.

Faisalabad Medical University acting vice-chancellor Dr Fareed Zafar, who is also the chief executive of the Allied Hospital, told Dawn that efforts were afoot to recruit the staff at the centre. As for the unavailability of the ICU, he said each bed of the centre had been made high dependency unit (HDU).

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2017