INDIA – In efforts to improve patient outcomes, Safdarjung Hospital has opened the first-ever skin bank located within its premises in New Delhi on the Ring Road.
The newly launched skin bank at Safdarjung Hospital has obtained approval from the relevant authorities under the Government of India to collect skin from deceased donors.
The skin can be donated within six hours of death. Consequently, the Delhi-based skin bank will recover, store, process, and preserve the donated skin to be used for a wide range of treatments.
In an official statement, Dr. Shalabh Kumar, Head of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery at Safdarjung Hospital, said: “Patients of skin infections, skin cancer treatments such as Mohs surgery, skin ulcers, and slow healing or large wounds can all benefit from skin grafting.”
All skins donated at the new skin bank will help patients at Safdarjung Hospital, which is structurally connected to the Vardhman Mahavir Medical College.
It is in line with the World Health Organization’s plan for burn prevention and care aimed at significant reductions in rates of burn-related death and disability.
“The donated skin can be stored for three to five years. No blood group or any other matching is required,” announced Dr. Shalabh Kumar.
Dr. Kumar pointed out that any donated skin can be used to treat any patient while noting that there is no need for immunosuppressants and steroids in the postoperative period.
What’s more, Safdarjung Hospital houses the first-of-its-kind facility in the northern region of India to ensure donated skins are readily available to patients in need of artificial skin grafting.
Currently, India has 16 skin banks. There are seven such facilities in Maharashtra, four in Chennai, three in Karnataka, one in Madhya Pradesh, and one in Odisha.
The inauguration of this first-of-its-kind facility in North India marks an important step forward in promoting skin donation and skin banking in the country as well as improving people’s quality of life.
The inauguration ceremony was officiated by Dr. BL Sherwal, Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital, who previously served as the Director of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital.
Citing the need for this one-of-a-kind skin bank, Dr. BL Sherwal said: “The skin bank has added another feather to the cap of Safdarjung Hospital.”
This facility will provide a ready source of cadaveric skin for patients with severe burns, and in turn, decrease the mortality and increase the survival rate in these patients.
Overall, the skin bank promises to save the lives of burn victims, improve health outcomes, lessen hospital stays of patients with severe burns, and reduce medical costs incurred by patients during treatment.
The hospital expansion comes as nearly 1 million people are moderately or severely burnt every year in India.
There are an estimated 7 million burn injuries in India annually, of which 700,000 require hospital admission, 140,000 are fatal and approximately 150,000 people develop various deformities.
The new skin bank launched at Safdarjung Hospital will facilitate the preservation of cadaveric skin to fill the gap in burn cases in the country.
Situated opposite to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS New Delhi), Safdarjung Hospital hopes to encourage residents to support skin donation in India.
Safdarjung Hospital will support the recovery of burn patients as well as expand its geographic reach in line with its commitment to providing exceptional health care.
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