Thiruvananthapuram: Health Minister Veena George announced that the state will launch its first skin bank at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College within a month.

George stated that the necessary arrangements for the skin bank are in the final stages, and approval from the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO) is required to procure skin through the organ donation process.

"Approval from K-SOTTO will be obtained immediately, and the necessary procedures will be completed to commission the skin bank within a month. Establishing a skin bank at Kottayam Government Medical College is also underway. Directions have been given to formulate standard guidelines for setting up skin banks," the Minister said at a high-level meeting.

''Skin, the largest organ in the body, will be collected, preserved, and transplanted onto patients using advanced technology through the skin bank. This can save the lives of many accidents and burn victims by preventing infections. It also helps patients avoid deformities. Like other organs, awareness about skin donation needs to be strengthened,'' George added.

Burns units operate under the supervision of the Plastic Surgery Department. They have been established in major medical colleges to ensure specialised care for burn victims.

During this government’s tenure, the Plastic Surgery Department was introduced in Alappuzha, Kannur, and Kollam Medical Colleges. Burns units function successfully in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Thrissur Medical Colleges.

Burns units are also operational at Ernakulam General Hospital and Kollam District Hospital. Work is underway to establish a burns unit at Kozhikode Medical College. The proposals also direct the establishment of burns units at Kollam, Alappuzha, and Kannur Medical Colleges.

The working group is instructed to submit a proposal to standardise burn units within 15 days. A unified treatment protocol will also be formulated. The Minister directed the establishment of a mechanism to coordinate centrally sponsored schemes at the Directorate of Medical Education.

The meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department, the Director and Joint Director of the Medical Education Department, Principals and Superintendents of various medical colleges, and nodal officers of burns units.