BAHAWALPUR, June 22: A burns unit has been recently established at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in the city.

This unit would provide treatment to patients from both the armed forces and civilians from all over southern Punjab and interior Sindh. Previously, there was no burns unit for the people of the city and its surrounding areas, as both local health facilities – Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH), an autonomous institution, and the newly opened Punjab government’s Civil Hospital – lacked such a facility.

This had been causing great inconvenience to burn patients coming from far-flung areas of the division. They had to travel to Nishtar Hospital, Multan, which too lacked a proper treatment facility. The only available option for burn patients was CMH Kharian, but due to its long distance, most serious patients would succumb to their injuries on their way there.

Regretfully, BVH is over a century old but it lacked a burns unit even though people of the area had been demanding its establishment for a long time. Dawn learnt in the last few years several proposals to set up a full-fledged burns project worth millions of rupees at the BVH had been submitted for approval to the government, but were turned down due to requirement of huge funds. Political factors had also led to rejection of this scheme. Such a scheme had been finalised during the PML-Q’s rule also, but could not be materialised due to political reasons.

BVH Medical Superintendent Dr Muhammad Irshad and former MS Dr Altaf Malik confirmed to Dawn about the submission of several proposals for a burns project at the hospital. But they refused to provide details and reasons behind rejection of the scheme.

The new 10-bed burns unit at the CMH had come as a relief to the people of not only far-off areas of Bahawalpur division but also surrounding areas, including Sukkur and Rajanpur. The unit had so far successfully treated 45 patients and currently a teenaged girl, who had been brought in a precarious condition, was being treated there.

This unit is well-equipped with plastic surgery equipment and medical experts, after a patient recovers, perform the required surgery on him in a fully conducive and hygienic atmosphere.

People have demanded the Punjab government establish burns units at the new Civil Hospital and BVH and allocate necessary funds considering their urgent need due to rising number of burn cases. The schemes kept in cold storage during previous years could be revised and implemented.

If a burns project is established here, it could meet the requirements of the patients from the entire Seraiki belt as well as some areas of Sindh.