Kerala gets its first integrated centre for burn-care

British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, Bharat Joshi, on Wednesday inaugurated Baby Memorial Hospital's (BMH) new integrated burn-care centre, the first of its kind in Kerala for comprehensive management of major burn injuries.

The new centre will be managed by a team of plastic surgeons, critical-care specialists, emergency physicians and specially-trained staffs.

Joshi said at the ceremony: "Sadly, the majority of burn survivors are women. Their vulnerabilities are unique because of psycho-social stigma they face from family, friends and employers. So I'm proud that my team has partnered with Chennai-based NGO, PCVC to build understanding of burn-care and facilitate state and national-level knowledge-sharing and policy discussion to improve the care available to victims of burn violence."

The specialised team will look after burn patients from the point of injury till their post-hospital rehabilitation.

The unit comprises a dedicated 6six-bed ICU, an operation theatre designated for burn injury and two isolation rooms.

BMH's Chairman and Managing Director Dr K G Alexander dedicated the new Burn-Care Centre to the people of Malabar and said at the ocassion, "Burns are one of the most devastating forms of trauma and require immediate, specialist care to minimise infection and mortality. There are many plastic surgeons across Kerala who are interested in burns treatment but the lack of infrastructure has hampered them. I'm sure that with more such specialist centres coming up in the future, we will be able to provide the most advanced, innovative treatment for all degrees of burns.