With hospitals across the State woefully deficient in facilities to treat burn injury patients, the Government has firmed up plans to establish Speciality Burn Centres at Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar and district hospitals.
The State Health department has proposed to set up an eight-bedded burns unit at Capital Hospital while dedicating at least two beds in the district headquarters hospitals for treatment and management of burn patients. The facilities would be provided under the National Programme for Prevention and Management of Burn Injuries (NPPMBI).
A dedicated unit at Capital Hospital has been deemed urgent due to the rising inflow of severe and critically ill burn patients. The 552-bedded hospital is the major referral hospital for the Capital and adjacent districts of Puri, Nayagarh and Khurda.
There are six beds attached to surgery ward for care of burn injury patients, but without any speciality manpower or infrastructure to handle such cases. As a result, burn patients are immediately referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital, which being the only Burn Centre in the State, is overburdened.
In 2011-12, as many as 292 patients had reported at Capital Hospital for treatment of which a whopping 135 had to be referred to SCBMCH for lack of facilities. In the absence of plastic surgeons, patients are being managed by general surgeons, staff nurses and attendants of the General Surgery wing.
According to official sources, the Capital Hospital already has a building that can be used as a dedicated Burn Unit with a bed strength of six patients. The Health department has proposed creation of two plastic surgeons along with specially trained paramedical staff and attendants for the Speciality unit.
The units would also be set up in 10 DHHs (existing five NCD programme districts of Koraput, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Balangir along with Cuttack, Ganjam, Rayagada, Khurda and Sambalpur that are proposed to be added this year) with two beds earmarked for the purpose.
While infrastructure, including air conditioned rooms, special beds and other equipment would be infused, the cases would be managed by surgery specialists and staff nurses, who will receive training at the Burn Unit of SCB Medical College and Hospital, nodal officer, State NCD programme, Dr P K B Patnaik said.