PIMS Burn Centre handled 5,000 cases in seven months

1As many as 5,000 patients in critical and semi-critical burn conditions have undergone treatment at the Burn Care Centre ever since its establishment within the premises of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in December 2007.

Constructed at a cost of Rs400 million, the 20-bed Burn Centre is a state-of-the-art public sector facility that has handled a record number of acute burn patients in seven months. The Centre has a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit and 4-bed male and female wards, a self-sufficient blood bank, and dedicated endoscopy and physiotherapy services.

“Managing 5,000 cases over a time period of seven months is a big achievement, especially when the ward has to handle almost all critical and major burn cases from Kashmir, NWFP, as well as central and northern Punjab,” an official working for the well-maintained centre said.

The Burn Centre enjoys a recovery rate of 72% as compared to 35% in many hospitals of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, ‘The News’ was informed.

There are a number of dedicated burn care centres in the country, the most visible being the one managed by the defence forces in Kharian. There is another 4-bed burn care centre at Nescom Hospital. The Pakistan Ordnance Factories is also running a 12-bed burn care unit at Wah. The country’s largest burn care unit, which has 60 beds, is located at Civil Hospital, Karachi.