ISLAMABAD: Burn patients in Pakistan have received a major relief as the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has established the country’s first skin bank, making advanced burn treatment more accessible and affordable.
The facility will allow doctors to culture a patient’s own skin in a lab and use it for treatment, a long-awaited development in the country’s healthcare system.
Currently, when a patient suffers burns on one limb, skin is taken from another healthy part of the body and grafted to speed up recovery. With the new skin bank, this process will become easier and less painful.
Dr Syed Mujahid Gilani, Head of the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Pims, told Dawn that skin banks operate like blood banks in many countries, providing cultured skin to patients with severe burns.
The skin will be cultured at the Molecular Biology Department of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) and then applied to patients admitted to Pims.
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“Patients with 80 to 100 percent burns need skin grafts urgently to heal faster. In the past, we did not have any facility for cultured skin. Now, we have started preparations, and as soon as we get approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), we will begin applying it to patients,” Dr Gilani explained.
He said the skin is often called “synthetic skin,” but a donor is still needed, and the graft must match the patient’s blood group. The cultured skin can be stored for up to five years, making it available for future use.
Dr Gilani explained that small samples, about two by two centimeters, will be taken from the patient after their injuries stabilize, usually about a week after the burn. These samples will be grown in the lab and then applied as skin grafts.
On the cost, he said regular dressings cost around Rs55,000, while high-quality dressings could go up to Rs150,000. In comparison, lab-cultured skin will be cheaper and eliminate the need for further dressings.
Dr Gilani also shared that Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has assured him that Drap will issue the required licence soon, allowing the hospital to officially start applying the cultured skin.
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Earlier, at an event titled “From Trauma to Recovery: Elevating Burn Treatment Standards” held at the Pims MCH Auditorium, Minister Mustafa Kamal inaugurated the Stem Cell and Skin Bank.
Speaking at the ceremony, the minister said the government’s top priority is to provide immediate and quality care to burn patients, pledging full support and resources to improve burn treatment facilities nationwide.
South African burn specialist Dr Nikki Allorto highlighted the importance of following international treatment standards and having well-trained medical staff for successful burn recovery.
Professor Dr Abdul Khaliq called the establishment of the stem cell bank and burn centre a major milestone for Pakistan’s healthcare system.
The event was attended by several senior health officials, including SZABMU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Tanvir Khaliq, Pims Executive Director Professor Rana Imran Sikandar, and Professor Dr SH Waqar.
