Transformation of a small burn unit into a fully fledged burn and plastic surgery institute has been one of the best things happened in Bangladesh’s healthcare sector in decades.
Back in 2003 it was just a 50-bed burn unit at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) struggling to cater growing needs of burn victims.
Now the recent establishment of the 500-bed Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery beside the DMCH premises comes as a welcome relief for thousands of burn victims who were previously served poorly.
On top of it the Institute, inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in last October, will soon have a skin bank thereby, facilitating grafting of skins for burn victims.
The burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) has been transformed into the institute and established at Dr Md Shahidullah Sarak at Chankharpool area of Dhaka. It now has 500 beds, and will have modernized academic buildings within the next two months.
It has taken years for DMCH’s burn unit, which was established with only 50 beds in 2003, to be transformed into the modern Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
Despite limited specialized manpower, the modern laboratory research facilities will assist in advancing medical practices.
The facilities include 12 modular operation theatres and a 30-bed modern Intensive Care Unit (ICU), hyperbaric oxygen therapy, plus a high-dependency unit along with physiotherapy and psycho-socio counseling.
Automated machines for cleaning, to manage the hygiene of the facilities, have also been installed.
Dr Samanta Lal Sen, chief national coordinator for the DMCH burn unit, told the Dhaka Tribune: "Our efforts in transforming the 50-beds burn unit to a 500-bed institute have gone well. We have made the best possible beginning. Now, it is up to the next generation of doctors to ensure everything goes well."
He added: "Despite our limited manpower, we dream of ensuring treatment for every burn patient in the country."
According to Dr Sen, the country has only 40 specialized doctors for around 600,000 burn victims who receive treatment at DMCH annually. This means there is only one specialized doctor for 15,000 burn victims; and a single nurse for 6,000 patients.
"We need to improve the doctor-patient and nurse-patient ratio," Dr Sen said. "With that end in mind, we are prioritizing: education, training, research and specialized treatment. Almost 95% of our preparations have been completed."
He continued: "We are waiting to fully install the equipment, and currently we are recruiting the necessary manpower. We are hopeful that the doctor and nurse ratio to patients will be fully balanced within a decade; once we have established a self-sufficient system."
Dr Sen said the institute will open a "Skin Bank," for the first time in the country, which will play a key role in decreasing the possibility of death for patients with over 50% burn injuries.
"We want to raise awareness so the people will donate skin to be preserved in the bank," he said.
The government first felt the necessity of modernizing the burn unit after a fire broke out in Dhaka's Neemtoli area in 2010, leaving 127 people dead. After the incident, 250 beds were added to DMCH's burn unit.
The burn and plastic surgery institute was constructed at an estimated cost of Tk546 crore on a hectare of land under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army.
