Belagavi: The treatment of
burn injuries will get a fillip with the first
skin bank in
north Karnataka slated to become operational in
Belagavi this year. The
Rotary Club of Belgaum and KLE's Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Research Centre will set up the state's second such facility. It will be located on the ground floor of KLE's Hospital at Nehru Nagar.
Sachin Bicchu, president, Rotary Club of Belgaum, said that the skin bank will become operational from the first week of February. Plastic surgeon Dr Rajesh Pawar will be in charge of the facility. It will have two expert plastic surgeons and six staff trained by Dr Sunil Jaiswal at the
National Skin Burn Centre, Mumbai.
The Rotary Club of Belgaum will spend Rs 40 lakh for equipment and machineries at the skin bank. As per its police, Rotary Club will run the skin bank on a "no profit no loss" basis. The skin bank will cater to those who sustain burn injuries, acid attack victims and people losing skin due to accident.
Bicchu said that the Club is conducting a logo competition for the skin bank. Entries can be submitted to its office at Rotary Club Swimming Pool at Goaves till January. The winner will receive Rs 3,000 cash prize at function of Annotsava in January, said Bicchu.
Skin donation process
Skin can be donated though it is different from an organ donation. Here's how to go about it. Inform experts at the skin bank within half an hour of a person's death. Skin from the chest and thigh is taken out with the help of special equipment. The preserved skin can be used within five years in burn injury and accident cases.
Officials at the Rotary Club of Belgaum said that artificial skin as an alternative to natural skin - provided to burn injury patients - is a very costly affair. While the cost of artificial skin is Rs 800 per square inch, natural skin is eight times cheaper at Rs 100. Natural skin is a safer option. In case of artificial skin, the patient can face complications in the future.
According to a survey conducted by the National Skin Burn Centre, 1,50,000 people suffering from burn injuries due to infections die every year in India. This rate can be brought down by transplanting skin on time. There is no requirement of matching blood group or tissues for skin transplantation.
