A burns ward, to treat persons who have suffered burn injuries, will be inaugurated at the District Government Hospital here on Saturday. Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, K. Suresh Prabhu, Lions District Governor, said that the Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Lions Club had come together to set up the ward at the District Government Hospital.
The ward had been constructed on the first floor right above the geriatric ward of the District Government Hospital. It will be called the Lions-BEL Burns Ward.
CSR
The burns ward had been built at a cost of Rs. 80 lakh provided by BEL as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility scheme.
The ward is completely air-conditioned with a total of 12 beds. Of the 12 beds, four beds will be for male patients and four beds for female patients in two separate general units. Two beds for male patients and two beds for female patients have been provided in two critical units at the ward.
The Lions Club will hire six staff nurses and look after the maintenance of the ward. Since it was difficult for the government to hire nurses, the club would pay the salaries of these nurses.
Fund
The club would collect about Rs. 30 lakh to keep as corpus fund for paying the salaries of nurses and meeting other expenses. It would collect donations and pay Rs. 50,000 every month for the maintenance of the ward. In the initial phase, the ward would be headed by a general surgeon. If necessary, a plastic surgeon would be hired for the ward.
Though the inauguration would take place on April 18, the club had ordered various equipment and instruments which will arrive in a fortnight. After these equipments are installed, it will be thrown open to the public within a month.
“Since the district government hospitals in Shivamogga, Chikmagalur and Uttara Kannada do not have burns wards, we expect patients from these districts also.
The opening of this ward would also benefit poor patients in Udupi district, who have to travel to Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru for treatment,” he said.
Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader will inaugurate the burns ward building here at 9 a.m. on April 18. Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, will inaugurate the male ward, while M.L. Shanmukh, Director (Human Resource), BEL, will inaugurate the female ward, Mr. Prabhu said.
Sridhar S., George Samuel, Ganesh Pai and Ishwar Shetty, office bearers of the Lions Club, were present.
The ward has been at a cost of Rs. 80 lakh
given by BEL
It will be thrown open to the public within
a month
