Chhattisgarh got its First Skin Bank

• 22 Aug 2022

Why In News?

• On August 20, 2022, Anirban Dasgupta, director in-charge of Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), inaugurated Chhattisgarh's first 'Skin Bank' at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital and Research Centre, the main hospital of Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) located at Bhilai in Durg district.

Key Points

• With this, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital and Research Centre will be the first institute for autopsy in the state.
• Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Medical Head of Skin Bank Dr. Anirudh Mene said that this skin bank is the first of its kind in Chhattisgarh. It is the fifth skin bank in the country after Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kochi.
• "The Centre has all the necessary equipment. Six employees of the burn department of Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) were trained at the Skin Bank of the National Burn Centre, Mumbai.
• The centre has been started after the approval of a four-member inspection team of The State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), Chhattisgarh. The registration number issued will be valid for five years.
• In addition to the burn unit, CMO Dr. Uday Kumar said that the skin bank will prove to be a boon for patients with severe burns through skin transplant and plastic surgery.
• Dr. Uday Kumar said that usually the upper layer of the skin of the patient's foot or back is removed and then 50 percent glycerol in the skin bank and stored in the incubator. This skin can be stored at 4 degrees centigrade for about 5 years. Also, the skin can be cut from the donor's body within a limited time even after his death.