GUWAHATI: The Burn Care Foundation here, which operates the only specialised private burn care unit in the Northeast, has recorded a mild dip in the number of burn cases during Diwali this year as against the previous years.
As it is, there has been a considerable increase in the number of Diwali-related burn injuries since 2010 when it recorded 24 cases.
Last year, the unit recorded as many as 78 cases during and a week after the festival. In 2016 and 2015, the unit had to attend to 46 cases each in the respective years.
“This year, we have recorded 24 cases during the Diwali days, which may rise in the next five days. All the cases have been from the city only. But compared to the two Diwali days last year when we recorded about 30 cases, there has been a dip, thanks to awareness generated against the use of crackers and sensitization campaigns at various levels,” Dr Bhupendra Prasad Sarma, secretary of the Burn Care Foundation, told The Shillong Times on Thursday.
While not too many apparently had adhered to the guidelines of the Supreme Court in regard to the bursting of crackers between 8pm and 10pm, awareness campaigns, calls for a “green” celebration and checks at various levels have played a role in reduced use of high-decibel crackers during the Diwali days.
Ironically, the Foundation says that it was the “flower pot” (locally called kol gos) that was responsible for the maximum burn cases, particularly injuries to eyes, face and hands, recorded by the burn unit.
“The flower pot has resulted in maximum burn cases which is rather ironical as this particular item is supposed to spread light when ignited rather than explode and cause a burn injury, which again raises questions about the ingredients used by manufacturers,” Sarma said.
Government hospitals in the Northeast are not equipped with specialized manpower and machines to attend to patients with burn injuries. In Assam, only the Guwahati Medical College Hospital has a burn care unit but the facility is still craving for modernization and specialized manpower.
“We are looking at constantly improving treatment for burn patients at our unit. As of today, we have six specialist doctors and 28 nurses and paramedical staff,” Sarma said.