Mumbai: The National Burns Centre has flagged a sharp shortage of skin donations in India, warning that poor awareness is limiting access to life-saving treatment for burn victims.
Highlighting the widening gap between demand and supply, Dr. Sunil Keswani, Director and plastic surgeon at the centre, said skin banks in Mumbai receive barely 25 per cent of the donations required each month, leaving many burn patients without timely grafts.
According to the centre, nearly 70 per cent of burn patients fall in the 15–35 age group, making access to timely treatment critical.
Limited availability of donor skin often delays transplantation, increasing the risk of complications, mortality, and prolonged recovery for survivors.
Experts say skin grafts play a vital role in burn care, helping patients recover during the most critical window of treatment. However, low public awareness about skin donation continues to hinder donor registrations. Skin can be donated within six hours of death, provided the deceased has been registered with a local skin bank.
Speaking at a closed forum, Keswani said awareness about the process remains extremely limited. “It is likely that only one in ten people know about the option to donate skin or understand the process. As a result, only a fraction of burn survivors receive skin transplants each year despite the urgent need,” he said.
He added that burn cases are often underestimated even in cities such as Mumbai, further widening the gap between the demand for skin grafts and the availability of donations.
“As an institute dedicated to improving the lives of burn survivors, we conduct nearly 300 awareness programmes annually to encourage donor sign-ups. We hope continued outreach and education will help address this shortage,” he said.
Burn survivor Viraj Thakoor, who suffered 43 per cent burns in a workplace accident, said timely access to skin grafting was crucial to his recovery.
Source link
#needed #skin #donations #received #monthly #National #Burns #Centre
