Belagavi: The words “skin bank” may sound gross, but it is quite helpful when it comes to treating burn victims. Belagavi is set to house the second of Karnataka’s skin banks, this year. The Rotary Club of Belgaum and KLE’s Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Research Centre will be setting up the facility, which will be located on the ground floor of KLE’s Hospital in Nehru Nagar.
The facility is slated to be up an running in the first week of February, of which Dr. Rajesh Pawar, a plastic surgeon, will be in-charge. The facility will be manned by two expert plastic surgeons and six additional staff, trained by Dr. Sunil Jaiswal at the National Skin Burn Centre, Mumbai.
The skin bank will treat victims of burns, acid attacks and even those who lose skin in any other form of accident. The facility be run by the Rotary club on a “no profit-no loss”, as is its policy, basis and will foot the bill of Rs 40 lakhs for all the equipment required.
There is a logo competition that has been arranged by the Rotary Club, wherein participants are required to design a logo for the new skin bank. The winner of the competition will receive a cash prize of Rs 3,000 at the Annotsava celebrations in the January. Those who wish to participate in the competition have been asked to send in their entries to the Club’s office at Rotary Club Swimming Pool at Goaves.
The process
Skin transplant is possible only after the passing of the donor. The skin bank should be informed of the donor’s death within an hour of the occurrence. Skin is then surgically removed from the donor’s chest and thighs and is preserved. The extracted skin is useful for up to five years from the time it is removed, in cases of burns and accidents.
