PESHAWAR: Amid 66 per cent upswing in admissions since its establishment in 2018, the public sector Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre has urged government to initiate a programme to prevent burn injuries, which usually surge in winter season and affect mostly children and women.
The sole dedicated centre for treatment of burn injuries has also received 114 patients from neighbouring Afghanistan where health services for such patients are almost non-existent.
Speaking about the last year’s performance of the centre, its director Prof Tahmeedullah told this scribe that there was a record-breaking patients’ inflow, warranting a strategic shift towards provincial-level burn prevention programme. As usually, the centre received more patients with burn injuries that could have been avoided through putting in place preventive measures, including awareness, he said.
“The 120-bed tertiary care facility managed unprecedented 44,877 patients and operated on 9,338 of them last year. Given the soaring patients’ volume, we need to maintain our clinical excellence for which we require more specialists and resources,” he said.
Prof Tahmeed urges government to initiate scheme for prevention of burn injuries
Prof Tahmeed said that the number of patients visiting OPD was recorded at 13,881 while 1,808 were hospitalised, showing an upward trend of 66 per cent. The need for expansion of services was felt desperately with every passing day to manage patients, requiring specialised trauma and reconstructive treatment, more effectively, he added.
He said that the number of plastic surgery performed at the centre was 3,104, followed by trauma’s 2,831 and burns’ 2,535. “In response to the rising casualty rates, BPSC is spearheading systemic reforms. Efforts are afoot to establish a ‘provincial burn registry’ to ensure proper record of patients on the basis of which policies and strategies can be devised leading to improved care,” he said.
Prof Tahmeed said that a formal request in that regard had already been submitted to government to establish a registry and launch a comprehensive provincial burn prevention programme.
He said that an estimated 1.5 million people suffered from burn injuries countrywide annually with 10 per cent of them happened to be life-threatening, requiring hospitalisation.
He added that about 15 to 20 per cent victims got crippled and underwent multiple surgeries and prolonged rehabilitation.
“Of these, 70 per cent are in most productive age group of 15 to 40 years while 80 per cent belong to poor socioeconomic strata, mainly due to illiteracy, poverty and low level safety consciousness,” said Prof Tahmeed. He added that most of those mishaps were preventable through awareness and putting in place a legal framework.
He said that the centre achieved the highest ratio of passing candidates in plastic surgery examinations in the region in addition to procurement of advanced technology, including a Near-Infrared ICG Camera for lymphedema and an ‘electric surgical piezo drill’ within a budgetary allocation of Rs898.091 million.
He said that BPSC also expanded its super-microvascular and lymphedema services, marking a major advancement in provincial healthcare capabilities.
Prof Tahmeed, who is also president Pakistan Association of Plastic Surgeons, said that the centre was receiving delegates of many countries who were showing immense interest regarding management of terrorism-hit patients.
“We get people with more burn injuries caused by leakage of gas and eruption of fire in factories that cause injuries to hundreds of people. Collaboration with other countries would benefit local patients requiring high specialised services,” he said.
He said that the centre was closely working with health department to upgrade plastic surgery services at district level and ensure rapid management of patients locally to reduce burden on BPSC.
Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2026
