Ernakulam Government Medical College burns unit has few takers

KOCHI: The burns unit of the Ernakulam Government Medical College (EMC) built using part of the CSR funds of Rs 1 crore given by the BPCL-Kochi Refinery is yearning for the service of a plastic surgeon and hence has few takers. In the beginning of this month when a chemical explosion took place at Hindustan Insecticides Ltd (HIL) at Udyogamandal close to Kalamassery where the medical college is situated, all the 12 victims were rushed to private hospitals in Kochi. So far, two of them succumbed to their burns.

“This shows the lack of faith of even chemical companies in the burns unit of the EMC. A lot of chemical companies are situated in the Edayar industrial belt and it is of utmost importance that the EMC burns unit is ready to meet an eventuality,” said Shyju Manakkappadi, BDJS Kalamassery Assembly constituency president.
‘Though there is the provision to treat 10 persons with serious burns, the absence of the plastic surgeon is a serious handicap. The Government has to post a plastic surgeon urgently and also deploy sufficient number of general surgeons and nurses in the unit,” he added.

Recently the parents of a child had alleged that their child with 15 per cent burns was tuned down from the hospital as it remained closed. The EMC principal Dr V.K. Sreekala said that the burns unit remains closed when there are no patients but none had been turned down. “A child Noufal from Adimali who suffered torture including burns from his mother was taken care of at the burns unit. Sufficient nurses have also been deployed through RSBY recently and we have requested for senior nursing staff also,” she said.