A year on, burn ward at PCMC hospital still not operational

At present, there is no public healthcare facility in the entire Pune district, dedicated to treating burn patients

Nearly 16 months after work began, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has yet to open the burn ward at the old Talera Hospital in Chinchwad. The civic body had announced the project in February 2024, planning a 24-bed facility, including six ICU beds with a step-down unit.

According to SGH officials, they have 20 beds that are always in demand, as burn patients from Pune and other districts are brought there for treatment. The patients who come to Sassoon are mostly critical cases with over 40% to 50% burn injuries and take around one to two months to recover. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

The decision came in the wake of a tragic fire accident on December 8, 2023, at a sparkling candle manufacturing unit in Jyotiba Nagar, Talawade. The blaze claimed six lives on the spot and many succumbed to burn injuries while undergoing treatment at Sassoon General Hospital (SGH).

At present, there is no public healthcare facility in the entire Pune district, dedicated to treating burn patients. The burn ward at Talera Hospital unit was expected to fill this void, offering timely and specialised care to those in need, said civic officials.

According to SGH officials, they have 20 beds that are always in demand, as burn patients from Pune and other districts are brought there for treatment. The patients who come to Sassoon are mostly critical cases with over 40% to 50% burn injuries and take around one to two months to recover.

Sharad Shetty, a health activist, expressed disappointment over the delay, pointing out that burn patients often require urgent treatment within the ‘golden hour’ (the critical first hour following the injury) to improve survival chances. “Without this facility, patients are at high risk. Also, travelling long distances for the treatment, which requires a long recovery period, is not feasible,” he said.

Sanjeevan Sangale, chairman of Chikhali Moshi Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Society Federation, said that the burn ward should be started on a priority basis, taking into account the lack of such a facility in the twin city and citizens’ demand. “The PCMC is spending money on so many trivial projects but is not concerned about such an important facility,” he said.

Allaying such concerns, a senior PCMC official, on condition of anonymity, revealed that the civil work of the burn ward is currently going on and a tender will be floated for the electrical work soon. “We have set a target to start the facility by December of this year,” he said.