Plastic Surgery

The Burns Unit was initiated in the year 1974, when the then Dean, Prof. H.D. Singh unfurled the importance of a separate burn unit proposed by the then Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, Prof. K. Mathangi Ramakrishnan. The Government then sanctioned a 10 beded BURN UNIT attached to the Department of Plastic Surgery and was commissioned in June 1981 at the I floor of the Guruswamy Mudaliar Block. In the same year a proposal for upgrading the unit to a 50-beded unit was envisaged and the benign Government sanctioned the same and the same was commissioned in the First floor of the existing Out-Patient Block in March 1985, with increase in the posts of Staff Nurses and Assistant Professors.

Details of the existing staff in the burns intensive care unit.

	2 MCh Plastic Surgery Post Graduate students are trained every year
	MCh Post graduates from Other centers are trained in Burn Care for 3 months during their curriculum
	MS Post graduates are posted for training in Burn care and Plastic Surgery for a period of 1 month during their curriculum.
	Nursing Students are trained in Burn Nursing for 1 month during their curriculum
	BPT (Bachelor of Physiotherapy) students, both government and private institutions are trained in Burn Physiotherapy for 1 month during their internship.

Library : The Department has a largest collection of Text books and Journals in Plastic Surgery and Burns

The BURN UNIT is a comprehensive Unit with an Intensive Care Ward, A separate Male and Female Ward, A Post operative Ward, an Exclusive 3 table Operation theatre to work for One day in a week due to paucity of Theatre Staff and Hospital workers. A separate Physiotherapy center is a great boon to the department. Subsequently a Four bedded Paediatric Ward was added. We have started operating twice a week for the past 6 months.

During festivities like Deepavali, we create public awareness to reduce the incidence of burn injuries by conducting camps and through NGOs and Press.

	One of Largest Units in South India
	Tertiary Referral Centre for neighbouring States
	Has International Recognition
	Has trained 40 Super specialists in Burns and Plastic Surgery over the past 20 years
	Several Publications have been made in National and International Journals.
	Two Text Books have been written by Authors from the Department
	Visitors from various Burn Centres all over the World have visited the Department

	24 hour Care of the Burn Patients through out the year
	Intensive Care Unit to resuscitate and revive the acutely burnt patients
	Male, Female and Paediatric Burn Patients are looked after in separate wards
	Self contained Operation Theatre exclusively for managing Burn Patients with 3 operation tables.
	Separate Physiotherapy Unit to rehabilitate the patients
	Patients with Post Burn Sequelae are followed up regularly with surgery and Splintage.
	Burn Patients get all modalities of treatment all under one roof.

Statistics – 1981 - 2007

Burns Patients Operated

	To develop curricula for the training programme for the primary health care workers
	To train the health workers in Burn Prevention Programme, to reduce the incidence of burns
	To establish Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy Unit to envisage training of the Health Workers in the Rehabilitation programme for burn survivors.
	To train primary health care physicians, nurses and general practitioners in Burn Care, Rehabilitation and Preventive aspects.
	Use of Audiovisual aids and mobile propaganda units to educate and train social service personnel and school Children in full-fledged preventive programmes.
	To co-ordinate with the WHO with regard to the epidemiology and demography of Burns.
	To establish satellite centers in each District Head Quarters to house small burn units with 5-10 beds for primary care. The centers will co-ordinate with the tertiary center for specialized treatment.
	To envisage research facility with regard to Burn Care.
	To have a Certificate Course in Burn Care and Rehabilitation of 6 months duration.