India reports 70 lakh burn injuries annually with 1.4 lakh mortality rate, says Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi [India], January 19 (ANI): India has at least 70 lakh cases of burn injuries annually with mortality rate as high as 1.4 lakh per year with additional 2.4 lakh patients who end up with severe deformities, Union Minister Dr Harsh said on Monday while inaugurating the newly constructed Burns and Plastic Surgery Block of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

"Burn injury is one of the biggest causes of workforce loss and this is an issue of concern for country like India. The nation reports as many as 70 lakh burn injuries annually with mortality rate as high as 1.4 lakh per year and an additional 2.4 lakh patients end up with severe deformities. Due to its large population, most of the burn care facilities are overburdened and the state-of-the-art burn care is negligible. There is a dire need for a healthcare facility that can provide high-quality care for a large fraction of the population. The new Burns and Plastic Surgery Block has been conceived with the vision of providing state-of-the-art care in the field of burns management and research," Vardhan said at the inauguration ceremony.

This initiative by the Central government will bridge the gap between this need and availability, he said.

The Health Minister explained that dedicated burns and plastic surgery block will reduce the number of deaths due to burns. "At present death toll of 1.4 lakh a year due to burn is not a happy situation. The most important determinant of death in burn patients is infection. This dedicated facility has individual cubicles in intensive care unit (ICU) for 30 patients and 10 private isolation beds to prevent any cross infection."

"Second, the institution will be able to reduce the number of people who will end up with deformities. Thirdly, it will bring down the costs; management of burns involve direct and indirect costs."

The direct cost comprises of--what is spent on medical care, and indirect loss is the economic impact due to loss of job, wages, productivity and training, Vardhan added.

It is to mention that the burns and plastic surgery block is equipped to deal with approximately 15,000 burn emergencies and 5000 burn admissions a year. The medical facility can deal with mass casualties efficiently by converting the patient receiving area itself into an emergency ward as per need.

The healthcare facility will also train necessary staff and personnel. It will be equipped with the most advanced wound management techniques and equipment such as VAC and hyperbaric oxygen chambers. (ANI)