Angola: Luanda burns hospital treats 2,900 people in six months

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Angola: Luanda burns hospital treats 2,900 people in six months

6:22 CAT | 13 Jul 2018

Neves Bendinha Hospital in Luanda received close to 2,900 burns cases in the first half of this year, half of which were children aged under 14, said the director general of the hospital.

Lídia Dembi, who presented the data at a seminar held on Friday to “Reflect on the Care of Burns Victim Patients,” said that since the beginning of the year a total of 2,893 cases have been reported in that unit, the only one of its kind in Angola.

In 2017, a total of 5,990 cases of burns were recorded, of which more than 60% in children up to 14 years of age.

According to the director general of the country’s only burns speciality hospital, the lack of first aid to victims at the scene of the accident, the shortage of human resources such as specialist nurses, nutritionists, and others are the major challenges in the care of people with burns .

She said fast and efficient care toburns patients in emergency rooms was essential for their survival and successful treatment.

According to Dembi, recent advances in the treatment of burns patients have been reported, however, the prevention strategies put in place have not yet resulted in a significant change in the dramatic epidemiological picture of burns in Angola.

Faced with the concern about the high number of burns victims who did not receive initial care for the accident, the only specialised hospital unit organised the seminar to provide basic knowledge to health professionals in this area, with a view to avoiding deaths and serious after-effects.

Source: Lusa