VISAKHAPATNAM: Tenders have been floated for the construction of an exclusive burns unit with ICUs for King George Hospital—Andhra Medical College (KGH-AMC) and a skills lab for practical training of medical professionals.With central government budget of 12 crore, the burns unit is being set up under the National Programme for Prevention and Management of Burn Injuries (NPPMBI). The skills lab with mannequins and simulators is being built with central government funds of 3 crore.Around two years ago, a central medical team had come to KGH-AMC to assess the feasibility of establishing a burns unit and skills lab under the NPPMBI during the 12th five year plan. Once the tendering process is completed, construction shall commence in a few months.Dr P V Sudhakar, head of the department of burns and plastic surgery and principal of AMC said, “The funds will be released in three phases of 4 crore each for the burns unit. The unit will come up with four exclusive intensive care units (ICUs) for burns and will be set up. More manpower including doctors and paramedics will be recruited and around 1 crore will be earmarked to procure latest gadgets.”“The construction and procurement of building materials and equipment for the burns unit and the skills lab would be routed through AP Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC),” he added.Since there are no other major burn units in any government tertiary setup in north coastal Andhra, and patients come for treatment even from neighbouring states , the KGH burns unit is in high demand. “Currently, KGH gets around 400-500 patients for burns annually. The beds are always overcrowded. Therefore, the upgraded burns unit under NPPMBI will be a boon for patients who have suffered severe burns,” added Dr Sudhakar.

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