"Hope after fire,": A free reconstructive surgery project for burn survivors: Making it possible and the lessons learned

Abstract

Postburn deformities can cause loss of livelihood and a sense of self-worth. Though many can be corrected leading the patients to lead a productive life, tragically many of these patients who need help are not in the service loop. Causes may be the problems of affordability, reach or the lack of skill levels needed for difficult problems. Hope after fire, a project to offer totally free reconstructive surgery for the correction of burn deformities is a joint initiative of the Rotary Club of Coimbatore Metropolis and Ganga Hospital. In a 3-year period from 2012,304 reconstructive procedures were done in 192 patients with a project value of Rs. 1.08 crores (US $ 166,000). The project is guaranteed the continued support of the club and the community and pledges for a similar sum are available. We feel that this success is reproducible. A patient-centric attitude, the commitment of the people involved in the project to go for it irrespective what it takes to reach the goal, efforts at rehabilitation in addition to surgical efforts, and transparency and trust between partners are the key for success. These and the other factors which we feel are important for success are detailed in this article.