We the volunteers of Switch India as a part of it's medical education were given a chance to visit National Burn Center situated in airoli which is a 50 bedded holistic specialized centre of excellence for research, training, prevention and treatment & rehabilitation relating to burns.
It is the only skin bank in India which was set up in 2009. The people there had painstakingly created a powerpoint presentation about the importance of skin donations for us. And gave us a brief overview about skin harvesting, preservation of skin and they also made us aware about the ongoing investigation in skin grafting.
We were given a tour of whole hospital where we sensitized to the burn patients and There was a physiotherapy department in the facility as well where the professionals helped the patients overcome the contractures and resume their normal life.
We also visited the National Butterfly Garden situated there itself, as butterflies are deep and powerful representation of life. They are also considered as symbol of resurrection, and also represented as Endurance, change, hope and life.
The butterflies symbolise the spirit of a rejuvenated life as they undergo metamorphosis, much like the burn victims who despite going through immense pain and suffering, come out on the other side with a rekindled sense of survivalism.
We were deeply moved by their strength and spirit. We all got to learn a lot and it was an amazing experience, Hereby we all pledge to aware more and more people about skin donation.
