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Burns ward at KMCH ready for Deepavali
Bracing for any untoward burns, the 10-bed ‘Deepavali’ ward at the burns facility of the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital is on standby mode.
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Chennai
The 120-bed facility that can accommodate upto 150 patients at the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital is all set to handle firecracker-related burns. A referral centre for burns, the facility has 10 beds allotted for the purpose.
Talking to DTNext, Dr Narayana Babu, Dean, said that they have already begun to attend to burn injuries caused by firecrackers. “We have already treated three patients, who sustained burns while bursting crackers. One of them had injuries in the eye and was sent to the Government Eye Hospital for further treatment,” he said. All of them had sustained less than 10 per cent burns.
“But we always get several cases on Deepavali. Last year, we had around 72 cases and the year before that, it was 85. It is mostly children and adolescents who are adventurous and careless when bursting crackers,” he added. According to him, six doctors and nurses will be available on rotation to attend to patients who come in with burn injuries. The hospital serves as the centre for treatment for burns for patients from the state and neighbouring states.
Emergency helplines ready:
The ambulance and medical helplines 108 and 104, respectively, are on standby to tackle any emergencies this Deepavali. The Tamil Nadu government initiative has staff who will attend to calls roundthe-clock, said a source. “We attended to almost 3,500 emergencies last year, which was almost 500-600 more than the regular number of calls. This year, we will be alerting ambulances on the state and national highways, apart from focusing on accident-prone localities that have been mapped based on our experience.” The personnel have also been working towards creating awareness and preventing accidents. “Pamphlets have been distributed to students and sign boards have been put up to emphasise celebrating a safe Deepavali. The medical helpline 104 will give authentic information on first aid and details of the nearest hospital,” the source said. Apart from burns, the medical emergencies during Deepavali ranges from road accidents to respiratory illnesses, said the source, adding that pregnant women and the elderly were the most vulnerable.
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