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Burn units to open in 8 divisions


Published : 18 Sep 2020 10:20 PM | Updated : 19 Sep 2020 11:55 AM

In the wake of increasing burned patients, the government has planned to introduce burn units in the country's eight divisional headquarters.

Besides, burn units will also be introduced at all public medical college and hospitals.

Contacted Md Abdul Mannan, secretary of the health services division under the health ministry, on Friday said the government will open burn units at the public medical college and hospitals of all eight metropolitan cities.

“Apart from these, the government has planned to introduce burn units in the country's all public medical colleges across the country in phases. We are going to introduce burn and plastic surgery units at government medical college and hospitals of the eight metropolitan cities first,” he told The Bangladesh Post.    

Earlier in 2010, in the wake of increasing fire incidents and serious causalities, the government introduced the burn units in the country's 13 medical colleges and at upazila level.

But these burn units are facing various difficulties due to lack of manpower, modern equipment and trained physicians to deal with burn patients, official sources said.

As a result when people receive burn injuries or get electric shock across the country, they are rushed to the capital Dhaka for treatment.

The health authorities are expecting when these burn units will be introduced these will help people to manage emergency situation.

In the mean time, the issue of treatment of burn patients has come to the fore after the recent blast at a mosque in  Talla area of the port city Narayanganj.

Concerned people said that the risk of burns is everywhere but the treatment system is only Dhaka-centric.

In the country, the only full-fledged treatment center for burn patients, the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. As a result, this unit is struggling under the pressure of the patients.

According to the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, in 2019, 64,893 people received treatment and 8 thousand 934 people were admitted to the hospital.

However, the critically burned patients are sent to Dhaka Medical College with first aid from different parts of the country. Due to lack of complete and good medical facilities elsewhere, the patients have to be treated in the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The risk of infection and mortality from the infection is also higher in this burn unit due to patients’ stress. There is also an acute shortage of manpower trained for this treatment.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder and trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury told The Bangladesh Post that there should be a burn unit in every district of the country for the treatment of burn patients.

Dr Zafrullah said the government is doing mega projects worth thousands of taka but people have to come to Dhaka for everything. Burn hospitals have to be set up in every district and training of local doctors should be ensured to provide first aid to burn patients.

On this issue, Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, told The Bangladesh Post, “The government has planned to set up burn units in all divisional metropolitan cities and medical colleges. A burn hospital was supposed to start at Chittagong but it delayed due to coronavirus situation.”

“Burn units will be set up in phases. Firstly, burn hospitals will be built in the metro cities and then in medical colleges. The government has made all kind of preparations in this regard,” Samanta Lal Sen added.