Islamabad: Within already broken healthcare system, Pakistan has acute shortage of burn centers that increases risks to burn victims as they do not receive proper treatment, medics say.
Of Rs.4. 451 trillion budget outlay for year 2015-16, a total of Rs 20.88 billion have been allocated for “the neglected health sector,” which is a meager amount to boost the ailing sector, a senior official at the Ministry of National Health Service, Regulations and Coordination, told News Lens Pakistan who wished to go unnamed because he wasn’t authorized to speak to media.
Dr. Isaac Asher, a senior staffer at the Burn Care Center (BCC) of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, said the country has only three burn centers with two of them are military-run, which couldn’t be afforded by common patients.
“BCC has equipped with state-of-the-art facilities,” he acknowledged. A report compiled by the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association (JPMA) rued that burns is one of the most neglected areas of health care in Pakistan.
Because of shortage of burn centers, a six months pregnant burn victim lost her baby when she didn’t get early treatment at the BCC.
Nazia Bibi, in her early 35 and mother of two, lost her baby for not being provided with direly needed medical facilities at the PIMS. “Only patients having reference are admitted at the BCC but we’ve neither any reference nor money,” said Irfanullah, one of her male relatives while talking News Lens Pakistan.
When contacted, Dr. Mast Ali Khan, general surgeon who treated Nazia first, said that under medical rules, a burn patient with 33% burn injuries be immediately admitted to a hospital.
“But Nazia has 40 % burn injuries on her arms, legs and stomach but the PIMS administration denied admitting her on the ground that the facility has no more capacity,” Irfanullah recalled.
She received injuries when she sprinkled kerosene oil on a stove to prepare food for her kids in a town at a 7-hour drive from Islamabad.
Like Nazia, a number of other burn patients have been struggling for life without proper treatment because the only available facility at PIMS could not treat more than 20 patients simultaneously, Dr. Asher said.
Dr. Amanullah Khan, a medical practitioner, said that burn injuries are a kind of life threatening disease and a burn patient should be forthwith provided with medical treatment “preferably in isolation.”
“In other words, burn injuries can be turned into a crippling disease,” he said.
A number of burn victims at the BCC question why they go for casting votes at a time when elected representatives could not even manage to provide them with better health facilities.
Ishrat Fatima 34, another patient with face, chest and arms injuries at the facility said she was fortunate enough to recover here although she reached here after several days of the incident.
For most of the patients with poor background, it is not only difficult but impossible to get treatment at this facility without having any reference, a number of victims’ attendant complained.
Fatima said that treatment facilities are good enough but the government should build burn units at village level so that victims could get immediate relief.
She had 50% burn injuries but she is now recovering speedily, Dr. Asher added.
When asked whether the government has any plan to establish more burn centers in the country, the official at the Ministry of National Health Service, Regulations and Coordination has only said: “Hectic meetings are underway to chalk out a strategy for building more burn centers or units in country’s leading hospitals.”
After 18th Amendment, health sector is a responsibility of provincial governments which also allocate tiny amounts for this life saving sector.
Dr. Asher said there is 100% increase in burn cases in winter season because of unannounced gas load-shedding. “Most of families leave their gas heaters open in night when there is gas load-shedding. Blast takes place the moment when anyone at home try to turn their heater on,” he remarked.
Unfortunately, he said no steps could be taken either by the government or private sector to promote the burn centers.
BCC is a civilian facility while there are two other burn centers being run by the military, he said, adding but treatment by civilian at military-run facility is out of question.
“Burn treatment is the most expensive one. It costs Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000 per day,” Dr. Asher added.
In winter season, he said that BCC treats around 1,500 patients monthly. BCC has the record of 20 burn victims die every month, who are brought from remote areas.
Lying on another bed was a baby girl Ayesha 12 whose face was charred beyond recognition when bottle of kerosene oil caught fire all in sudden.
Most of patients were seeing-off with a smiling face and gifts by staff of the BCC after their successful surgery. However, Dr. Asher said the government should strive to build burn centers at every district and Tehsil hospitals, which would help reduce pressure on BCC and facilitate serious victims at their door-step.
