ISLAMABAD: Burn patients and their families can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has established a skin bank.

The development has turned into reality the long-awaited dream of culturing a patient’s own skin and applying it to treat burn injuries.

Currently, if one leg or arm of a patient is burned, skin from the other arm or leg is removed and grafted to expedite the healing process.

Head of the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Pims, Dr Syed Mujahid Gilani, while speaking to Dawn, said that just like blood banks, skin banks have been established across the globe to provide skin to burn patients.

The skin will be cultured at the Molecular Biology Department laboratory of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) and then applied to burn patients admitted to the hospital.

“Patients with 80 to 100 percent burns require skin grafts as it expedites the healing process. Unfortunately, in the past, there was no arrangement for grafting skin. Now it will be cultured in the lab and applied as soon as we receive approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap),” he said.

Responding to a question, Dr Gilani said that although it was referred to as synthetic skin, it still required a donor and had to be matched with the patient, since every patient has a different blood group. He added that the cultured skin could be preserved for up to five years.

“As burn patients usually require skin grafts after about a week, once the injuries have settled, samples measuring two by two centimetres will be taken from the patient, cultured in the lab, and then applied,” he explained.

When asked about costs, Dr Gilani said that normal dressings with cream cost around Rs55,000 in the market, while high-quality dressings could cost up to Rs150,000.

“However, lab-cultured skin will be cheaper than normal dressings, and after applying the skin, there will be no need for further dressings,” he said.

Dr Gilani added that Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had assured him on Tuesday that he would ensure issuance of a Drap licence at the earliest. Preparation of cultured skin has already started but will only be applied once the licence is issued.

Earlier, an event titled “From Trauma to Recovery: Elevating Burn Treatment Standards” was held at the Pims MCH Auditorium.

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal emphasised that providing immediate and quality care to burn patients was the government’s foremost priority and pledged to mobilise all available resources to achieve this goal.

The minister formally inaugurated the Stem Cell and Skin Bank, while Dr Muhammad Rauf Ahmed presented the scientific details of the project.

Speaking on the occasion, South African burn specialist Dr Nikki Allorto stressed that adherence to international standards and the availability of trained staff were crucial for successful burn treatment. Professor Dr Abdul Khaliq highlighted the importance of establishing a Stem Cell Bank and Burn Centre, calling it a milestone for the future of healthcare in Pakistan.

The event was also attended by SZABMU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Tanvir Khaliq, Pims Executive Director Professor Rana Imran Sikandar, Professor Dr SH Waqar and other senior experts.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025