KNH burn unit to be expanded

Dan Matakaya during an occassion to mark the Burn and Fire Safety Awareness Week at KNH on August 31, 2018. He sustained acid burns which made him lose his sight.PHOTO| JEFF ANGOTE | NATION

On 26th September, 2013, Dan Matakaya, a police officer, stepped into his bedroom to catch some sleep after night duty. When he got into bed, his wife poured sulphuric acid on his face and fled.

Neighbours responded to his cries for help, but by the time they got to him, he was not breathing. Eighty per cent of his face was burnt.

He was airlifted from Kisii to the Kenyatta National Referral Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi, the only health facility with a dedicated burns unit. He was in hospital for six months, after which he was admitted at a private hospital to fix the veins on his face. His eyes were also grafted and removed.

After the reconstruction, he was admitted at KNH again to open his blocked nose, but he still has difficulties breathing, and he lost his sight.

Mr Matakaya is one of more than 100,000 Kenyans who are hospitalised with burns each year, with 10,000 of them succumbing to their injuries. Children account for 40 per cent of burn victims. At KNH, 1,200 burn patients are admitted for treatment each year, double the capacity of the ward.

HIGH DEMAND

“What we have as the country’s leading referral hospital’s burn unit calls for seriousness. We need to do something because demand is high,” said Dr Benjamin Wabwire, a burn specialist and reconstructive surgeon at the referral hospital, at a media briefing.

He announced that the hospital is constructing a new burns unit, which will have an additional 85 beds, 12 intensive care unit beds and six high dependency unit beds.

However, even with expanded capacity, patients will still have to grapple with the high cost of treatment. According to Dr Loice Kahoro, the secretary of the Burn Society of Kenya, most patients cannot afford rehabilitation and surgery.

LIMITED RESOURCES

“Most fires are recorded in slum areas, where residents have limited resources, yet burns are very expensive to treat and they are for life. Treating a person with 50 to 60 per cent burns costs Sh1 million per month. We admit 10 patients a month and at times close to 100 patients with most of them unable to pay. This forces the hospital management to waive the bills. It is important to get to know safety measures to avoid staying in the hospital for long,” she said, and added that because burns require six months to a year of recovery, the survivors’ productivity and ability to earn an income is hampered, rendering them dependent.

Paul Thuku, an officer at the Nairobi County fire and rescue department, said that most people suffer serious burns because they don’t know what to do or who to call for help.

“Shout ‘fire’ and people will come to your rescue. Then call the fire brigade or police or Red Cross (1199 /0700395395 /0738 395395) for emergency care,” he said. The rescuer should cool the burnt area with running water and rush the victim to the nearest hospital.