The Treatment of Burns

Pakistan

Burn Care Project, Watan Welfare Society

Background to the project

The treatment of burns is arguably one of the most expensive and specialized of medical treatments. Burns care requires the combination of a number of surgical and general medical skills, such as pediatrics, plastic surgery, infection control, palliative care and labor intensive critical care nursing. On top of this, burn victims need intensive, one-on-one treatment from allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, psychiatrists and psychologists.

The irony is that countries with the greatest need often lack the facilities to treat and rehabilitate burn victims. Pakistan is one such country. For example, there is no publicly-funded specialized burn center or hospital burn unit in Pakistan. The only purpose-built burn unit in the country is the Army Burn Centre in Kharion, and this hospital only accepts civilian burn victims who can afford the high fee charged.

While there are no official statistics on the types and causes of burns, figures collected by non-government organizations suggest an increasing occurrence of burns. The majority of burns are accidental and result from contact with gas stoves, lamps, leaking gas pipes, exposed electrical wiring, boiling water, hot oil, etc. Most burns occur in the home, in or around the kitchen. As a result, women and children are most at risk of burns. According to data collated by the Watan Welfare Society, out of 306 burn victims treated at their Burns Care Centre between January 1999 and April 2000, women and children accounted for 82 percent of all victims. Of the total number, 62 percent of victims were burnt in or around the kitchen, with children most at risk here. Of the 41 cases of suicide treated by the Centre, 88 percent of suicide burn victims were women.

There is also disturbing evidence that increasing numbers of burn victims - particularly those described as suicide cases - are young women who have been set alight or had acid thrown on them by their husband or in-laws. Such extreme