PESHAWAR: The public sector Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre has decided to start a programme to impart training to health professionals regarding management of burn injuries and scaling up public awareness regarding preventive measures.

“The best option to reduce burn injuries is prevention. Nobody can become normal after sustaining burn injuries even with the best available treatment. About 90 per cent of the cases are totally avoidable,” Prof Tahmeedullah, the director of Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre Hayatabad, told Dawn.

According to him, domestic, industrial and electric burns have been rising and the affected people cannot return to normal life. So the better option remains prevention, which costs nothing and saves lives.

“We have planned a two-day symposium on prevention of burn injuries in the first week of September wherein doctors, nurses, paramedics, nutritionists, physiotherapists and other professionals would be trained on burns management and other assistance required by the people suffering injuries,” he said.

Expert calls for scaling up public awareness about preventive measures

Prof Tahmeed said that during the last one year, more than 5,000 patients of burn injuries were treated. “The number is increasing every year and more often we run out of space at the 120-bed centre, which leaves us with only choice to reduce incidences through awareness,” he said.

He said that people with burns faced health, social, psychological and physical issues and couldn’t lead a normal life like before even if they survived.

The director said that often, 50 per cent beds in the centre remained occupied by burn cases as they received 70 per cent patients, who were referred to the centre from different districts of the province.

The cases of burn injuries begin increasing in November and start declining in mid-February at the end of the winter season. “The matter of concern is also the sale of gas in plastic bags. We request the authorities concerned to take action against the practice,” he said.

Prof Tahmeed said that high incidence of burn injuries occurred in the winter as most people suffered burns due to the gas leak-induced explosions.

“Rise in incidence can be attributed to illiteracy, poverty and low level safety consciousness but situation becomes further grim due to the absence of burn care at the district headquarters hospitals. About 90 per cent cases can be managed by general surgeons at the district level,” he said.

He said that it was must to ensure management of burn cases at district headquarters hospitals to reduce incidence, provide timely and adequate treatment to patients and cut down mortality, complications by providing effective rehabilitation to the survivors.

Prof Tahmeed said that the symposium planned by the centre was meant to inform the stakeholders about preventive measures, management of burn cases and rehabilitation of patients.

He said that about 10 per cent of the burn cases could be life-threatening and required hospitalisation for specialised services. He said that some of the admitted patients succumbed to their injuries while some got crippled and required multiple surgeries and prolonged rehabilitation. He added that the better strategy was prevention.

H said that substandard manufacturing of household electric and cooking equipment and general lack of safety consciousness were main causes of such incidents.

Surge in the incidents of terrorist activities and manmade disasters also contributed to increase in cases of burn injuries, which required two-way approach to expand facilities and spread awareness among people to follow precautions for preventing such incidents, he said.

“We have offered free training at the centre to doctors of district hospitals. Already, we are jointly organising training courses with Khyber Medical University for effective management of burn patients,” said Prof Tahmeed.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2023