PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has allocated Rs1.213 billion for upgrading the Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre in the Dera Ismail Khan district to provide timely care to the victims of burns and trauma.

Currently, the Mufti Mahmood Teaching Hospital in Dera Ismail Khan has a 10-bed burns ward, which will be expanded to 50 beds to cater to patients from the entire division and adjacent districts, according to director of Peshawar Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre Prof Tahmeedullah.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, who belongs to Dera Ismail Khan, has tasked Prof Tahmeedullah with developing that facility.

He told Dawn that the existing 10-bed burns ward, established two years ago, needed upgradation to deal with patient flow.

Official says 10-bed facility will be expanded to 50

“We have visited Dera Ismail Khan and decided to establish a new centre in an abandoned two-storey building inside the hospital, which can house burns and plastic wards and modular operating theatre,” he said.

The director said the project would be successfully executed soon as the building was available and two more plastic surgeons were required to support the existing two to handle all sorts of emergencies.

“The space is very good as it is accessible from the road and can be used in case of a mass emergency. Once the centre becomes operational, it will be able to handle all patients locally. Presently, more than 15 per cent burns are sent to Peshawar for treatment,” he said.

Under the plan, the centre will need around 30 nurses and 20 technicians to be recruited to offer full-fledged services to the patients, according to Prof Tahmeedullah.

He said that the centre’s upgradation would be very useful for patients as the hospital already had pathology, physiotherapy and radiology services.

“Some alterations to the building will make the centre purpose-built and as a result, the outcome will be positive as far as services to patients are concerned,” he said.

The director said the upgradation was taking place on the directives of Chief Minister Gandapur, who belonged to Dera Ismail Khan.

He said the procurement of equipment and machinery would start soon.

“Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre Peshawar will act as an umbrella organisation for the centre to provide training to staff members in management of burns and trauma patients,” he said.

Prof Tahmeedullah said the centre’s upgradation was direly needed as patients with burns needed to be rushed for specialised treatment.

He said that as state-of-the-art healthcare facilities were unavailable at district level, burns victims often ended up with complications even if they survived.

The director, however, said timely services by trained health professionals would ensure the best possible patient management.

“We recently started a 10-bed burns ward in Mardan Medical Complex with the support of chairman of the board of governors Prof Arshad Javaid with two plastic surgeons,” he said.

Prof Tahmeedullah said that a Mardan-based family was in contact with authorities to make donations and streamline services.

He said Dr Hamayun Ayub, a UK-based Pakistani plastic surgeon, had also donated instruments and equipment for the centre.

“Our province has got 140-bed Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre at the Hayatabad Medical Complex and smaller units at the Khyber Teaching Hospital and Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar and Ayub Teaching Hospital in Abbottabad, but we also need to focus on preventive measures against burns,” he said.

The director advocated for legislation to ensure prevention of burns in buildings and factories, saying the victims have to undergo ordeals for their entire lives even if they survived.

“The best option for managing this serious burns issue is prevention,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024