New Delhi: More than 250 people suffered burn injuries in Delhi on Diwali, with hospitals across the city reporting a surge in cases, mostly caused by firecrackers, while the Safdarjung Hospital, which has the country's largest burn unit, recorded the highest number of 129 cases.
After the Safdarjung Hospital, 55 burn cases were reported at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), 37 at the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, 16 at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital and 15 at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital.
The Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital received 129 burn cases on Diwali days (October 19 and 20), including 111 where the patients suffered minor burns and were treated on an OPD basis, while 18 patients with major burns were admitted, said Dr Sujata Sarabhai, Head of Burns, Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery at the hospital.
Of the 129 cases, 118 were caused by firecrackers and 11 by diyas (earthen lamps). A total of 117 patients were from Delhi and nine had to undergo surgery. Twenty-four patients were children aged below 12 years, Sarabhai said.
At the Centre-run AIIMS, the Burns and Plastic Surgery Department received 55 Diwali-related burn cases in a 48-hour period and 10 patients with major burns were admitted to the ICU.