City hospitals get 141 burn cases

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 20

City hospitals received over 141 patients who sustained burn injuries due to the burning of crackers on Diwali.

There has been a marginal dip as compared to the number of patients who visited the city hospitals last year for treatment on the festival.

As per the health authorities, in 2016, a total of 150 patients from the tricity and neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh were admitted to the city hospitals with eye and burn injuries caused by firecrackers.

As many as 76 patients visited four government hospitals of the city.

While 39 patients visited Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH) in Sector-16, 14 persons with burn injuries visited the Civil Hospital in Mani Majra. Four cases were reported at the Civil Hospital in Sector 22, while nine were reported at the Civil Hospital in Sector 45.

Director, Health Service, UT, Rakesh Kashyap, said limiting the bursting of crackers in the tricity  led to a decline in the number of Diwali-related emergency cases received in government hospitals.

“Only 10 eye injury cases were received and all were minor and needed OPD treatment only. And 66 burn cases were received in our hospitals and thankfully all were minor and treated at OPDs,” said Dr Kashyap.

A total of 37 patients with firecracker-related injuries were rushed to the Emergency of the Advanced Eye Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). Of these, 16 patients were from the Tricity areas, while 21 were from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. There were 29 males and eight females among the injured.  As many as 19 patients were below 16 years of age and five were below 40 years of age. Eleven patients were actually lighting crackers when they got injured and 26 were bystanders. A total of 13 patients required surgical intervention to salvage the eye, over 10 had undergone surgery at the time of filing this report. 

Besides, there were 17 others patients who suffered burn injuries on their limbs. As many as 11 injured persons were rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32.

Medical Superintendent Ravi Gupta said limiting the time of burning firecrackers had a positive impact and led to a dip in the number of patients with burn injuries. He said all patients who visited the hospital had sustained minor injuries.