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Call for safety rules with firecrackers

By Staff reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 24 � Asking people to celebrate this Diwali with utmost care while playing with firecrackers, doctors of Burn Care Foundation and Nemcare Hospital today said that most of the burn injuries during Diwali happen due to carelessness.

A survey of three hospitals of the city last year just after Diwali revealed that out of total 26 burn cases received, 19 were male and seven female. Of those, 13 patients belonged to the age group of 11 to 30 years. The survey conducted by the Burn Care Foundation also found that most of the cases were of hand, eyes and facial injuries.

�Carelessness with �flower pot� or kalgachh is one of the major reasons behind the burn injuries among both children and adults. Many people try to burst the kalgachh on their palms which lead to accidents,� said Dr Bhupendra Prasad Sarma, senior surgeon and burn specialist while addressing the media here. Dr Sarma is also the convener of the foundation.

Burn Injuries � a handbook on first aid, treatment and prevention of burns was also released by noted journalist Dhirendranath Chakravartty. The handbook has been written into both Assamese and English languages by Dr BP Sarma. Speaking on the occasion he said that though fire and various modern equipment like LPG, stove, and electrical equipments have made life easier for people, a little carelessness can turn it into a curse.

�During Diwali one should also be very careful while bursting old fire-crackers,� he added.

�Burn injuries do not just inflict physical trauma on the person, but also give lots of mental trauma. On the other hand, 70 per cent of the burn cases are preventable, provided we are aware of the various aspects of burn injuries and preventive measures to be adopted,� Dr Hitesh Barua, MD of Nemcare Hospital said.

�People apply many things like ointments, eggs, potato slices, toothpaste etc., on the burn injuries, which should be strictly avoided. Water (not ice cold water) should be poured on the burn wound till the pain subsides and the patients should be rushed to hospital, in case of deep burn injury. Even using a blanket is not a safe idea as the entrapment of heat may cause more tissue damage,� said Dr Sarma.

The foundation was established in 2001, to develop the burn care facility, train of burn care personnel and make people aware about prevention of burn accidents. School education programme, hoardings, leaflets and newspaper articles are parts of the burn care awareness drive taken up by the foundation.

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