KARACHI, June 4: Admitting the unavailability of adequate facilities and staff for treatment of patients suffering from acute or mild burns injuries, vice-chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences, Prof Masood Hameed said that training of manpower in this field would be given priority.

Speaking at a press conference at the DUHS on Monday to relate details of a three-day workshop titled 'Essential burn care course' organised by Interburns (International Network for Training, Education and Research in Burns), he said that good training and research was essential to deal with cases of burns injuries.

Interburns is a joint venture of Pakistani, UK and Indian medical experts to develop international collaboration and to take lead on the issue of burn care.

The vice-chancellor said that the DUHS would launch a programme to raise awareness among the masses on preventive measures to avoid burns injuries. He said that for 150 million population of the country burns care facilities were negligible.

Speaking about the establishment of 'National Skin Bank', he said that without adequate trained manpower the project would not prove useful.

Prof Patricia Price of the University of Cardiff, UK, highlighted various sociological problems faced by burns victims and shared her extensive experience on the subject. She told that around 25 to 50 per cent burns victims suffered from psychological complications.

Dr Tom Potokar, plastic surgeon from Welsh Burns Centre, UK, said that the burn patients rarely died in the UK. We would make efforts to create the same situation here, he said.

Dr Shariq Ali, head of Burns Centre Department, described various facilities available at Burns Centre Karachi. He said there was a dire need for clinical psychologists in the field of burn care in the country.

He said that medical experts visiting Pakistan would visit the AKUH, NICH and other city hospitals. He said that the project of skin bank was on cards but no practical steps were taken in this regard.

The burn care course was designed to cover all aspects of multidisciplinary burn care ranging from prevention strategies, treatment and rehabilitation in accordance with working environment of Pakistan.—PPI