Delhi hospitals report over 280 burn cases on Diwali

Of the total patients, 102 suffered minor burns and were treated on an outpatient basis, while 15 patients with major burns were admitted, according to hospital authorities.
A child bursts firecrackers during the celebration of Diwali festival, in New Delhi, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.
A child bursts firecrackers during the celebration of Diwali festival, in New Delhi, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.Photo | PTI
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NEW DELHI: Several hospitals in Delhi reported over 280 cases of burn injuries, largely caused by firecrackers, on Diwali, officials said on Friday.

Safdarjung Hospital, which has the largest burn unit in the country, recorded the highest number with 117 cases on Thursday, followed by 48 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and 19 at LNJP Hospital.

Of the total patients, 102 suffered minor burns and were treated on an outpatient basis, while 15 patients with major burns were admitted, according to hospital authorities.

Twenty patients were children aged below 12, they said.

The hospital authorities attributed 86 cases to firecrackers and 31 to diya burns.

Five required surgery due to severe hand injuries from firecrackers.

On October 30, the day before Diwali, the Safdarjung Hospital recorded 18 burn cases, with nine patients admitted and as many treated for minor burns, it said.

At Centre-run AIIMS-Delhi, 48 cases were recorded in its Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Burn Surgery from 7 pm on Diwali night until 7 am on November 1, according to Dr Rima Dada, the professor in charge of the facility's media cell.

Of these, 32 cases were specifically related to firecracker burns, Dr Dada said.

Among the 48 patients, 27 suffered major burns while 21 had minor injuries.

Notably, 19 of the major burn cases required intensive care, with 11 patients currently in critical condition, she added.

Dada said in addition to firecracker-related injuries, other types of burns were also reported by patients, with 35 such cases in Delhi, eight in the National Capital Region (NCR), and five from outside NCR.

Eye injuries were another concern this Diwali, with the RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS reporting 50 such cases on October 31 and an additional 30 cases so far on November 1.

A child bursts firecrackers during the celebration of Diwali festival, in New Delhi, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.
Cracker ban goes up in smoke as Delhi records its most polluted Diwali in three years

Despite a five-year prohibition on bursting firecrackers in Delhi, violations were reported in many parts of the city on the night of Diwali, contributing to air pollution.

Meanwhile, the LNJP Hospital, the largest facility run by the Delhi government, treated 19 burn cases during the Diwali celebrations.

Dr Sameek Bhattacharya, Professor and Head of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery at RML Hospital, said the facility received 44 patients with Diwali-related burn injuries from October 31 to 11 am on November 1, most of whom suffered burns to the face and hands.

Nine of them were admitted.

Notably, six of the patients were from one family.

They suffered burns after explosive materials stored in their house for making crackers caught fire, Delhi, Bhattacharya said.

Two similar cases were reported in which patients got hurt while making improvised firecrackers, the doctor said.

Unlike last year, there were no cases of blast injuries to the hand at RML Hospital.

However, one patient suffered a finger fracture, and another had a tendon injury, both of which were repaired by surgery, he said.

Similarly, In East Delhi, the GTB Hospital reported a total of 30 to 35 cases by the afternoon of November 1, with five patients getting admitted for firecracker-related injuries; the remaining patients who complained of burns from crackers and diyas were treated in the outpatient department, according to doctors at the facility.

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