A senior citizen P.K. Sankaran had willed that his skin should be donated when he died. So when he passed away a few years ago due to old age, his family called the National Burns Centre (NBC) at Airoli in Navi Mumbai and in 30 minutes a team arrived, neatly shaved off the skin from Sankaran's body, put them in a safe container and deposited them at the NBC's skin bank. Skin donation can help thousands of people who suffer burn injuries.
Nestled in the bustling city of Airoli, the NBC has completed 23 years of service to the community. For many victims of burns, it stands as a beacon of hope and healing. Founded by the eminent plastic surgeon Dr. Manohar H. Keswani, the hospital was commissioned by his son Dr.Sunil Keswani in 2001 with a vision to provide comprehensive burn care.
The institution has emerged as a trailblazer in the field of affordable, state-of-the-art burn care with additional stress on burn prevention and rehabilitation, setting new standards of excellence and compassion.
One of the hallmarks of NBC is its multidisciplinary and multimodal approach to patient care. Its emphasis on research and innovation for the advancement of burn care in India, be it donated skin or artificial skin from the skin regeneration lab, has set a benchmark for burn treatment and improved outcomes for patients both locally and globally.
Dr.Sunil Keswani established the first private skin bank in the country in collaboration with the Euro Tissue Bank, Netherlands, and it has received the highest number of skin donations in the country. He was further instrumental in settling up 15 more such banks all over India
The institute not only runs an awareness program for our community to create more skin donations to help the suffering but also trains our surgeons in its utilization, tremendously reducing the mortality rate of the victims.
Post-burn complications not only hinder victims physical well-being, but the scars and disfigurement impact survivors’ emotional well-being as well. Physical rehabilitation of burn patients is a dynamic process that starts upon arrival at the center and adapts daily. It focuses on preventing and restoring range of motion, minimizing hypertrophic scars, and enhancing strength and endurance.
The goal is to aid a return to daily activities, tailored through interdisciplinary collaboration. Laser therapy for burn scars utilizes concentrated light to promote healing, reduce pain, and minimize scarring, enhancing overall recovery outcomes.
Psychological rehabilitation endeavors to alleviate distress and enhance well-being. Its aim is to enact positive transformations in patients' lives by offering support in both mental and social concerns, striving for holistic recovery, and promoting a better quality of life. The overall rehabilitation of burn survivors includes not only physical and psychological rehabilitation but also vocational rehabilitation.
Mission Aasara is yet another undertaking of the institute, with the aim of providing occupational and vocational assistance to the burn survivors and assisting them to reintegrate back into society. The goal is to help a survivor thrive towards a near-normal functional life.
Additionally, the institute is actively involved in community outreach projects aiming to raise awareness by running the world's oldest burn prevention and first aid program for the several years, targeting youngsters in schools and colleges.
With the Mission statement of ‘We burn with a desire to heal' NBC runs a project Operation Restore which is a free reconstructive surgery camp for underprivileged burn survivors with deformities and scars , benefiting more than 1,000 individuals till date With its unwavering dedication to excellence and its commitment to healing, the institution continues to transform lives and inspire hope in the face of adversity.
