IF ONLY THEY BUILT A SKIN BANK - 80 PER CENT OF BURNS VICTIMS COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED AT CIVIL

 Civil Hospital and BJMedical College fail to build a skin bank though they signed an MoU with aEuropean firm during the 2011 Vibrant summit; this despite that fact that abouthalf of the burns patients die following infection due to lack of skintransplant
One patient dies in the burns department of Civil Hospital almost every day. Nearly 80 per cent of these people can be saved if they received skin transplant in time. But Civil Hospital and BJ Medical College, have failed to set up a skin bank despite signing a memorandum of understanding with Euro Skin Bank in 2011, two Vibrant summits ago.

Patients are likely to continue suffering as the bank is highly unlikely to come up before the MoU lapses next year as little progress is made on its execution.
The MoU which was signed by BJ Medical College, Civil Hospital and Euro Skin Bank in 2011 is effective only for five years2011 to 2016. They had also partnered with `Smile Train', an international children's charity which works in the area of cleft lip and palate. The mastermind behind the initiative were Dr Sunil Keswani, secretary of National Burns Centre (NBC), and Dr M F Shaikh, additional medical superintendent of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery. In 2013, compared to the previous year, the state recorded more than 800 per cent rise in the number of deaths in burn cases, according to National Crime Record Bureau. Figures are scary as in Civil Hospital, around 80 per cent of the burns patients die every year due to lack of skin bank.
Skin transplantation is needed in major burns and other injuries where it helps to prevent infections and decrease pain, and thus helps faster healing and saves life. Dr Keswanisaid, “I am trying to establish skin banks in Ahmedabad and Vadodara since 2010 but haven't received much support from the government or Civil Hospital. I am ready to provide training and instruments to the hospital but they haven't built a room for it.“
With the establishment of skin bank in the state, 80 per cent burns patients can be saved. “Every month, we get one of the highest numbers of calls for skin transplantation from Ahmedabad but they are not ready to set up the bank in their city,“ added Dr Manohar.Through RTI, Mirror has accessed many documents, including the email shared between Dr Shaikh and Dr Welsly Bodha, director of the Netherlands-based Euro Skin Bank director. In one such email, Dr Shaikh stated, “There has been a delay in the establishment of the skin bank at Civil Hospital because of a lot of renovations, reconstruction and refurbishment going on in the hospital...government is positive about the skin bank and aware of need of skin bank in Gujarat.“
DEMAND IS HIGH BUT NO BANK
Dr Kesawni has visited Civil Hospital thrice since 2010 to promote the setting up of the bank but left with little result.Whenever NBC gets requests for skin transplantation from Ahmedabad, he couriers the skin required to the needy in cold containers.
“At my centre, 95 per cent of the eye and skin donors are Gujaratis. Had they established it in the state, it would have saved many lives,“ he added.
Mirrorhas the soft copy of all the advertisements of the skin bank provided to Dr Shaikh which apparently was not adequately publicised.
WHEN ACTOR PARESH RAWAL PLEDGED SKIN
BJP Member of Parliament from Ahmedabad (east) Paresh Rawal, who is the brand ambassador for skin donation awareness, and his actor wife Swaroop Sampat pledged their skin in 2010.
WHAT TYPE PATIENTS
Patients with less than 30 per cent burns are left with enough clean skin to cover burnt areas. Hence, skin transplantation is mainly done among patients with more than 30 per cent burns.
INCREASES SURVIVAL RATE
The skin after being grafted on the burnt areas, resurfaces the exposed part.
It guards against infection and entry of foreign infectious agents After transplantation, the pain goes off It controls the loss of fluid, protein, and heat from the body It acts as a biological dressing which provides sufficient time for the pa tient to recover.
PROCEDURE
Skin retrieval team reaches the place of death in a specialised burns ambulance. After taking consent from relatives, they harvest the skin of the donor only from back and thigh with a special machine called `Der matome'. Only one eighth thickness of the skin is harvested. After har vesting, the area is bandaged and the donor's body is handed over to the next of kin. The procedure takes around 45 minutes. The donated skin is harvested in 6-12 hours of death. It can be preserved in liquid gly cerol for as long as three years.
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