PESHAWAR: The public sector Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre, Hayatabad, has been receiving more cases in Ramazan due to the haphazard approach of people to make different sorts of food items within a short time.

“Burn cases have almost doubled in Ramazan as people spend most time cooking in a disorganised manner, which causes them burn injuries,” Prof Tahmeedullah, the director of Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre, Hayatabad, told Dawn.

He said that the centre received six burn patients on average per day in the month of Ramazan. “It is twice the number of patients, we got before Ramazan. Gas load-shedding is another issue due to which people use cylinders for cooking purposes,” he added.

He said that during Ramazan more people remained present in the kitchen trying to prepare meals and other edible items in a shorter time due to which their clothes often caught fire and resulted in burn injuries.

Expert says surgeons at district level will be trained to treat patients locally

“This happens both during Sehri and Iftar because people rush to kitchen to make preparation without showing patience. Another main cause is gas load-shedding due to which people switch to cylinders and encounter the bursts that cause severe injuries,” said Prof Tahmeed.

“Even a lady doctor, who has sustained 70 per cent burns due to a cylinder blast recently, is being treated at the intensive care unit,” he said. Mostly, people open the pressure cooker despite the presence of gas, which bursts and causes injuries to them.

“The people also use equipment, which sucks gas during low pressure that causes leakage and ultimately harms the nearby people,” he said. He said that the victims of burns included women, children, adults and elderly people, who received 10 to 70pc injuries. He added that most of the affected persons were brought to the centre with burn injuries to eyes, hands, face and other parts of the body.

“To reduce high incidence of burn injuries during Ramazan, we are asking people to exercise restraint and don’t rush through cooking in kitchen to avoid gas leak-induced explosions,” he said.

The director of the burns centre said that people used gas carelessly in kitchen, which led to explosions and fire eruptions. He said that children shouldn’t be allowed in to kitchen. He added that more than 10pc burn injuries entailed high morality, but little care at home could reduce the incidence.

“Due to patients’ load at the centre, we have decided to impart training to general surgeons in management of burns at the district level so they could handle cases in their own hospitals instead of referring them to us, said Prof Tahmeed.

He said that each and every general surgeon working in district and tehsil level hospitals could get one-week free training at the burns centre. “They will be given certificate to cure burn cases,” he added.

He said that above 10pc of burns could be referred to the centre because they required more facilities, which were available at the centre. He said that often 50pc beds at the centre remained occupied by burn patients. He added that 70pc patients were referred to the centre from different districts.

Prof Tahmeed said that many hospitals had burn wards with trained staff but patients were still sent to Peshawar that worsened their condition. He added that most of the injuries were totally preventable provided people took precautionary measures while working in kitchens.

The 120-bed centre, which became operational in 2019, not only treats burns patients but also creates awareness among people about ways to prevent burns and electric injuries to protect them from complications.

“Even if treated, people with burns face health, social, psychological and physical issues. They cannot lead a normal life like before. The sole solution is prevention, which costs nothing but just care,” said the director of the centre.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2023