It will ensure proper, quality treatment

‘Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute’ has been inaugurated at Chankharpul in the capital. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 18-storey and 500-bed institute recently. It has 50 intensive care units (ICUs) and 12 operation theaters. This institute, built at a cost of Tk 912 crore on two acres of land at Chankharpul, adjacent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, is the largest burn and plastic surgery institute in the world. A new horizon has begun in the field of country’s medical sector through the inauguration of this institute. 

Basically, the institute has been established due to the personal interest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Opposition parties took a violent way during the movement ahead of the Jatiya Sangsad Election in 2014. Petrol bombs were hurled at different vehicles including buses and trucks in different places. Many were killed and many were burnt.  Due to lack of facilities, it was not possible to provide proper treatment to the patients with burn injuries. Seeing the unbearable conditions of patients, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was shocked. At that time, Sheikh Hasina announced the establishment of a large burn institute in the country in a bid to provide proper treatment to the patients with burn injuries. Following the announcement, the institute was inaugurated on October 24.

This institute will not only treat thousands of patients but also at the same time will help increase proficiency of doctors and nurses and create specialist doctors. Every year, an average of 10 to 12 doctors will get higher education in this field when the new institute will be fully operational. It will also help increate skilled plastic surgeons in the country as a result it will be possible to set up separate burn units in the hospitals of district and upazila level. So, patients will get treatment facility at their doorsteps.

According to sources, about 14 hospitals in the country including Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) have burn units. Only the burn unit of DMCH is complete, but others are nominal.  The burn unit of DMCH is very small compared to the requirement. There was no modern treatment facility for deadly patients. Due to lack of adequate space and facilities, providing proper treatment to the patients with burn injuries was being hampered.

The newly-constructed burn and plastic surgery institute has 100 cabins, 20 intensive care units, 60 high dependency beds, 12 operation theaters and a latest post-operative ward. There is also a helipad facility in this institute. Not only burn patients, but also other patients like finger and foot defects, cancer, injured in accident, trauma, etc will get treatment facility here.

At the inaugural function, National Coordinator of the institute Dr. Samanta Lal Sen said, “I have dreamed for long 40 years of my life for this day. I am very glad as my dream has been implemented. Now concerned all including plastic surgeons have to be careful so that no patient dies in the institute without proper treatment”.

It is our expectation that concerned all will ensure proper treatment to the burn patients.  We believe that this institute will play a role in creating necessary and skilled manpower for the treatment of the victims. It will be a light of hope for the patients with burn injuries and their relatives.



risingbd / Dhaka / October 27, 2018 / Ali Nowsher/Mukul