Burn wounds and injuries can be devastating in the absence of specialised treatment, which even in this day and age is rarely available under one roof in many developing countries.
Despite the odds being against such patients, the burn centre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) now offers a glimmer of hope. Not only is this facility a blessing for residents of the province, the 120-bed Burn and Plastic Surgery Centre (BPSC) in the heart of Peshawar’s medical district, offers treatment to many patients from the other side of the fence.
According to information provided by the centre, more than 25 per cent of the patients come from Afghanistan. Most of them, the centre said, have limited treatment options back home.
The treatment, medical staff said, is often protracted, and considerable amount of resources are needed to achieve a certain level of healing. Dr Tahmidullah, who heads the centre said his team provides medical care to Afghan citizens regardless of the extended duration and resources required for healing. “We receive burn victims from all over the country and even Afghanistan,” claimed Dr Tahmidullah. Patients from Afghanistan, he said, receive free treatment.
Most of these burn victims come from Herat, which is known for self-immolation cases. In addition to the limited resources, the shortage of doctors and medical staff in Afghanistan has rendered health facilities barely functional, leaving victims with no choice but to travel to K-P for treatment.
Ten years ago, burn patients in K-P also had limited options. Those with severe injuries had a 50-50 chance of survival back then. To receive treatment, most of them had to travel to Lahore or even Islamabad.
Today, through its broad range of medical facilities, Dr. Tahmeedullah said, the centre has been able to push the survival rate even higher. “The treatment of severe burns, which once spread over several hospitals across the province, most with no specialised staff, is now concentrated in the centre with both clinical and surgical capability,” explained one patient.
Experts who study burn injuries said developing countries have a much higher rate of such cases than developed countries. According to one expert, high population density, poverty and illiteracy are the main factors that are associated with a high risk of burn injury.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2021.
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