Skin Bank:

After AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, North India’s third skin bank will be started in Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. It is being prepared in the Super Specialty Block (SSB) being built in the hospital. The facility will start in the center from September. It will be run by the Burns Plastic Maxillofacial and Microvascular Surgery Department of the hospital.

Doctors say that after the centre starts, patients suffering from severe burns, wounds or other skin related disorders will get great relief. Experts say that sometimes due to lack of skin on the body, the said disorder takes a long time to heal.

Apart from this, there is also a risk of infection. To prevent this, skin transplantation is done on the affected area. After doing this, the speed of healing of the disorder increases along with prevention of infection.

Professor Dr. Samik Bhattacharya, Head and Director of Burns Plastic Maxillofacial and Microvascular Surgery Department said that a skin bank will be started in the hospital soon. The process of starting the bank and getting the necessary licenses related to skin transplantation is going on.

This bank will start in SSB. We are hoping that this facility will start after the block starts in the month of September. Let us tell you that every year about 70 lakh people get burnt in the country. Out of these, 1.5 lakh patients die. The reason for this is infection.

The SSB block being built in RML hospital is set to be opened by September. Hospital director Dr Ajay Shukla said that we are trying to open it by September. After the block opens, all super specialty facilities will be shifted to the said building.

This multi-storey building has a total of 800 beds. Out of these, 130 beds are for ICU patients. Patients from 13 super specialty departments including kidney, urology, heart disease, neurology can be admitted and treated in the block.

Anyone can donate skin

Dr. Bhattacharya says that the hospital will arrange for skin donation at its own level. Any dead person’s skin can be donated. According to other doctors, skin of children below 18 years of age will not be taken. The skin of people above 80 years of age becomes thin. Because of this, skin of dead people up to the age of 80 can be donated within six hours of death.

Skin of a person suffering from HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, skin cancer or any serious infection cannot be donated. Skin is taken from both thighs of the dead person. The donated skin is processed in about a week. After this, it can be kept safe for four to five years.

Can be applied to any person’s skin

According to doctors, donated skin can be transplanted to anyone. There is no need to match the blood group or HLA (human leukocyte antigen) of the donor and the patient for skin transplantation.