LAHORE, May 20: Of five burn victims who were sent to the US, four have returned after a successful treatment. They are now able to move all body parts.

The children aged between four to nine years were sent to the US by the Shalamar Hospital in collaboration with the Healing The Children organization. The children remained under treatment at the Shriners’ Burn Hospital in Texas from Nov 23 last year to May 17 this year. The fifth child, Toseef, 15, would return after undergoing a few more procedures in the US hospital.

Talking to Dawn, the children —- Pankat, 9, Nabeeha Taqweem, 8, Nazish, 5, and Osama, 4, —- said that they were very happy that their condition had improved. They said that they were treated with a great care. The children had suffered burn injuries some two to five years ago.

Sister nurse Arsla Shaheen, who accompanied the children to the US, said that she had developed a good relationship with the children. During the stay, she said that she also completed her specialized training in handling burn victims.

Healing The Children chairman Ghulam Muhammad Bombaywala said that he had so far helped over 150 burn victims in getting specialized treatment from the US during the last five years. “Now I am again taking five more burn victims from Karachi to the US for treatment in the next month,” he said.

Earlier, speaking at a function, burn victims’ parents expressed their thanks and gratitude to the Shalamar Hospital and Healing The Children organization for their support.

Shalamar Hospital chief executive Riaz Ahmad, medical superintendent Dr Fuad Hameed Rai, Brig Ashfaq Ahmad (retired), and others spoke.